


Heartlines

by joidianne4eva



Category: The Losers (2010), The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M, M/M, Other, Team Gypsy Moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2017-12-26 03:27:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 91,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/961040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joidianne4eva/pseuds/joidianne4eva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Swallowing to clear his dry throat Jensen shifted in his seat. “So I’m taking it you’re the one who….” he trailed off because there was no polite way to ask the man if he was the person that his parents had chosen for Jensen to screw seven ways to Sunday but the way that the man’s smile widened minutely made something unravel in Jensen’s chest as he tried again. “My name’s Jake but everyone calls me Jensen,” he murmured watching as the wolf strolled closer, until Jensen could feel the heat from the man’s body.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So much thanks to Cougars_catnip , who gave the original prompt for this fic and stuck with me through my whining and general pettiness and Nagasvoice, who jumped on the crazy bandwagon to help beta this and huge thanks to mific for the art. You are all awesomesauce \o/

Lord Jacob Anthony Jensen, or Jensen for short, was going to kill his parents. It was bad enough that they’d forced him to promise to keep the family appellation even though Jensen had repeatedly told them that he’d rather just be a regular soldier. He’d been all but ordered to take up the War Duke title that had existed in their family for centuries and now, on top of that, they’d gone as far as arranging his marriage!

In honesty he blamed his sister because if Jodi hadn’t shacked up with a human instead of the respectable candidates that their parents had given her then the bastard wouldn’t have broken her heart when he left her and their newborn daughter high and dry. The whole thing had put most humans in their parents’ bad books….and Jensen knew how well his mother could hold a grudge. But in truth Jensen couldn’t really blame Jodi because just the thought of a world without his niece Beth made him want to bare his teeth in displeasure. As far as he was concerned helping to make Bethany was the only good thing that Robert had ever done and while it left his sister shattered Jensen was happy to see the back of the man.

The treaty between them and the humans meant that either could intermarry into each other’s culture but there was a four year limit before a bonding was performed….it was to ensure that the human understood what they were getting into, because wolves mated for life.

A broken bond was enough to make any wolf go feral.

But that was neither here nor there as far as Jensen was concerned. His parents must have contacted one of the foreign packs to find him a mate because the scent that they’d come back with wasn’t one Jensen was familiar with and he'd made it his goal to know the scent of all the wolves that fell under the Jensen Clan.

Sighing, he braced his cheek on his hand as he glanced around the room that his mother had ushered him into, purposefully avoiding the bed because no, no and definitely no. He wasn’t about to let his parents pimp him out and while he’d heard of spontaneous bonds between wolves, he wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of consummating the bond there and then, no matter how good the scent of this mystery wolf had been.

Jensen was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the sound of the door opening but there was no way he could have missed that smell. Like the woods after the first drop of rain, it made the wolf roil beneath Jensen’s skin but he kept his face blank. Leaning back in his seat, he rested his hands on the arm of his chair. It was a deliberate move and he knew exactly what he looked like when he did that….a lord overseeing everything he owned and the wolf rumbled in approval as the smell came closer.

The man was smaller than Jensen, smaller and shorter but the air crackled around him and Jensen almost slapped a hand across his face because of course his parents had gotten him a fucking alpha as a potential mate.

Even as the thought flickered through his mind Jensen let his eyes rove over the strange wolf. The man’s dark hair was pulled away from his face in a loose ponytail and a blood red scarf rested high on his forehead, keeping most of the curls out of his face except for a few strands that had escaped the binding.

Dark eyes surveyed Jensen coolly as the wolf moved further into the room, a small smile quirking his lips as he met Jensen’s eyes. The fire in the dark orbs made Jensen dig his nails into the arms of his chair in an effort to remain seated. Jensen wouldn’t say that he was familiar with all the wolf clans out there but the gypsy clans from Spain were ones that anybody could recognize at a glance and as he took in the man’s clothing he was fairly certain that that was where this new wolf was from.

The shirt that the stranger wore was almost non-existent, the material so thin that Jensen could make out the darkness of the man’s nipples through the shirt. The sight drew a growl from Jensen’s throat as his eyes dropped to the man’s black pants and froze. The legs of the clothing were voluminous, shifting with each step the man made and it led down to bare feet that Jensen could only describe as cute. The pants tightened the higher they went, only to mould themselves around an ass that Jensen wouldn’t mind taking  a bite out of.  

Swallowing to clear his dry throat Jensen shifted in his seat. “So I’m taking it you’re the one who….” he trailed off because there was no polite way to ask the man if he was the person that his parents had chosen for Jensen to screw seven ways to Sunday but the way that the man’s smile widened minutely made something unravel in Jensen’s chest as he tried again. “My name’s Jake but everyone calls me Jensen,” he murmured watching as the wolf strolled closer, until Jensen could feel the heat from the man’s body.

“Carlos….or Cougar,” the man whispered as he trailed a finger along Jensen’s arm while he circled the chair.

“Cougar, really?” Jensen choked out as he forced himself to focus on something other than the urge to jump the other wolf but the prick of sharp nails made him freeze as Cougar came back into view. “Ah, kitty’s got claws, huh?”

Cougar just smirked in response before heading for the other side of the room. Pausing to glance back at Jensen, the man shoved the windows open and Jensen blinked in surprise as the starting strains of a violin filled the room.

Cougar must have caught the surprise on his face because the man grinned. “My clan,” he offered up in explanation and Jensen nodded in understanding. It was normal for the clan of a new wolf to hang around for a few days just to make sure that the match was right before returning to their lands.

The violin was quickly joined by a tambourine and a drum, the rhythm thrumming through the air like a living thing and Jensen’s eyes widened when Cougar started moving with the music as a husky female voice joined in with melody.

Jensen’s eyes followed Cougar’s hips as they shifted with music, rolling in a small circle while the dark haired wolf’s eyes closed, his whole body falling into the song that was steadily growing louder. Instruments that Jensen couldn’t identify joined in with the melody and Cougar moved to match each new layer, bare feet holding a steady beat that made the rest of his body twist in sinuous rolls that would make a snake green with envy.

The Spaniard’s hands fell to the front of his shirt, fingers flicking the buttons open even as he continued to move and Jensen leaned forward as each button that fell open revealed another inch of tan skin.

The music changed again and this time a heavy beat began weaving its way through the air and with every hum of the guitar Cougar took a step closer until he was only a few feet away from Jensen almost close enough to touch and definitely close enough to smell.

When Cougar’s hands dropped to the waist of his pants Jensen’s eyes followed, watching the way the muscles of the man’s stomach pulled taught with every roll of his hips and as a drop of sweat slid along Cougar’s abs Jensen had to bite back the whimper clawing at his throat.  He fucking loved his parents…..he was going to give them gold and diamonds, anything just as long as….oh hell yes.

Jensen’s breath rumbled from his chest as Cougar tucked his thumbs in the waist of his pants, dipping the material low enough that Jensen caught sight of the place where the man’s treasure trail met a thin layer of dark curls.

Glancing up Jensen inhaled sharply as he met the amber eyes of Cougar’s wolf and he could feel the need to shift pulling at him but he forced it down as Cougar’s hips began to rock again easily keeping the rhythm of the music. Wolves as a whole loved music, because there were so many layers to it that their ears were able to capture, a lot of which flowed right past the limited sense of hearing that most humans possessed. Yet even with the knowledge of their unique physiology Jensen had never seen something like this...a wolf that didn’t seem to just love the music but one who lived and breathed it. It was almost as if each thrum of the guitar or beat of the drum called to Cougar in the same way that the moon called to them all. Then again he’d never had a chance to meet many members of the gypsy clans before either but the thought was shoved from his mind when Cougar dipped to the floor as the violin’s trill vanished leaving only the heavy beats from the drums.

The wolf’s back arched as he crawled towards Jensen on hands and knees, shoulders and hips shifting into a predatory prowl, his body still twisting with the music and Jensen was beginning to wish that he’d brought water with him because his throat was going through a drought that was being brought on by the sight of the man in front of him.

When he was close enough to touch Cougar rose onto his knees, hips rolling while he pulled his shirt off, letting the material fall to the floor before reaching out and bracing himself against Jensen’s legs.

“Ok….” Jensen managed to choke out as the man climbed into his lap while the music died down again. “Look, dude you’re hot….you’re like surface of the sun hot but don’t you think we should….you know, talk or something?” he babbled but Cougar just ignored his words and settled himself so that he was hovering over Jensen, knees spread on either side of taller man’s thighs and his hands gripping at the back of the blond wolf’s chair as he dipped down to nuzzle at the sensitive skin of Jensen’s neck.

“Sus padres…they brought me your scent months ago,” the Spanish wolf whispered, his voice rolling over Jensen like the thickest molasses while his fingers slipped from the chair to curl around Jensen’s shoulders as a rough tongue dragged over the blond’s skin. Jensen growled, his hips thrusting upwards even as his hands dropped to Cougar’s hips trying to force the man down into his lap but Carlos held himself still, close enough to tease but not close enough to provide any of the friction that Jensen’s cock had been begging for from the moment that Cougar stepped into the room.

“I’ve wanted…” Cougar continued but Jensen was hardly listening as he finally yanked Cougar down onto his lap. The moment that the man settled over the bulge in his trousers Jensen hissed because Cougar was moving again, hips thrusting forwards towards Jensen before rocking back onto his cock all but riding him through several layers of clothing.

Sharp teeth grazed against Jensen’s neck and he snarled as he arched upwards almost bucking Cougar out of his lap but the wolf just hooked his ankles together behind the chair, keeping them both rooted to the seat as his hips started rotating faster in a way that made stars burst to life behind Jensen’s eyelids. This wasn’t the first time he’d been with another wolf but this was the first time he’d met a wolf as wild as the one he was trying to keep a hold of. From the pleased rumble that rolled through Cougar’s body Jensen was going to have to rethink who had caught who.

Forcing one of his hands from Cougar’s hip, where he could feel the solid weight of bone beneath silky smooth skin,  Jensen yanked at the back of the man’s scarf until the thing fell away pulling whatever tie had held the dark mass of hair with it. Dark curls tumbled down across Jensen’s fingers, falling onto Cougar’s bare shoulders. Jensen paid them little mind as he tangled his fingers in the man’s hair pulling until Cougar abandoned his neck to glare at him.

Darting forward Jensen pressed his lips against Cougar’s moaning at the soft feel of the plump flesh until Cougar bit down then the sound turned into a growl as Jensen tightened his grip on Cougar’s hair until the wolf let go.

“Bad puppy," Jensen teased, grinning when Cougar bared his teeth at the nickname. “Didn’t anybody teach you biting is bad?” he whispered, pulling Cougar’s head to the side to expose his neck.

Cougar just snarled in response but he didn’t try to pull away when Jensen pressed a nose to his skin, inhaling deeply before a warm tongue laved the exposed expanse.

“Fuck….how the hell do you smell this good?” Jensen murmured after a long moment but Cougar didn’t respond. Instead the dark haired man’s hands dropped to the arms of the chair. Using this new leverage Cougar raised himself up, supporting his body weight with his arms as he began to rock faster, rubbing himself against Jensen’s erection in a way that had the blond’s eyes crossing even as his grip on Cougar’s hips loosened because there was no way that he was going to stop the man now. Hell, if he thought he’d be able to get his pants off without having to make Cougar move Jensen was more than willing to say ‘fuck you’ to his pride and just mate with Cougar right then and there.

Cougar smirked as if he knew exactly what Jensen was thinking before shifting closer, securing the hook that his ankles had around the legs of the chair. Rolling his hips in a slower circle he pressed his cock against Jensen’s lower stomach and even through Jensen’s shirt the contact made him suck in a sharp breath as he urged Cougar closer.

The other wolf slowed his motion, his tongue flickered out to wet his lips and Jensen’s eyes helplessly followed the action.

Cougar stared down at him, one long-fingered hand shifting to Jensen’s chin, tilting the blond’s head up so that their eyes could meet. “You want me,” Cougar murmured and Jensen nodded because denying that was futile. Cougar’s eyes narrowed. “I want a mate not a bed partner,” he growled and Jensen tensed before relaxing. Some wolves liked to try several potential mates before they settled down but it looked like that wasn’t Carlos’ game at all.

“I didn’t take you for the one night stand type,” Jensen teased but Carlos expression stayed serious and Jensen sighed. “Look, I don’t know if you understand my position in the pack…it doesn’t really allow for a good relationship,” Jensen admitted.

Cougar shifted even closer, dipping down so that his lips were in line with Jensen’s ear. “There are not many titles in our pack, mi mama holds one of the only ones, we call it Dux Bellorum….it will pass to me when I am ready to take up the mantle. So do not think that you are the only one who owes loyalty to the position you were born into.”

Jensen stared up at the wolf above him, his eyes slowly roaming over Carlos’ features as his brain tried to find the similarities between the man currently trying to drive him insane and the vicious woman that he’d only seen once at a council meeting. Maria Alvarez was a law unto herself and any wolf that thought that they could get anything past her just because she was female usually found themselves at the end of her claws….in a terrifying way she reminded Jensen of his own mother. But the fact remained that now that he had a frame of reference the similarities were there….Maria and Cougar shared the same high cheekbones, dark eyes and that smell of the woods that they carried with them like a cloak….it made them seem dark…wild in a way that made Jensen bare his teeth as Cougar stared down at him.

The dark haired man just laughed, fingers shifting to Jensen’s chin as he tilted the blond’s head higher, curling forward so that their lips brushed against each other when he spoke. “I did not believe that the heir to the Jensen pack was a coward,” he whispered and if that wasn’t a fucking taunt Jensen didn’t know what was.

His wolf surged to life at the challenge in the other alpha’s voice as a low growl rumbled from Jensen’s chest. Tightening his grip on Cougar’s hips he rose from the seat ignoring the low chuckle that his move drew from the other wolf when Jensen strode towards the bed.

“You want a mating bite? I can fucking give you one,” he snarled as he dropped Cougar onto the bed but the smaller wolf just tightened his legs, pulling Jensen down with him and only wolf enhanced reflexes prevented serious injury as Jensen caught himself on his arms. He hovered above Cougar for a second before the wolf twisted his hips, rolling them over until he was back on top, knees braced against the soft sheets.

Dropping his hands to Jensen’s shirt Cougar made quick work of the buttons before shoving at the material until Jensen raised up just enough to shrug the shirt off.

“A mating bite is what I deserve,” Cougar responded snootily and Jensen snorted as he slid his hands up Cougar’s spine, sucking in a sharp breath when the move made the man’s hips hitch forward.

“I’ve got a feeling that a mating bite is the only way anyone would keep you semi-settled,” Jensen muttered, planting his feet so he could thrust upwards to meet Cougar’s downward grind and the friction that that caused had his eyes rolling as Cougar’s head fell back, exposing his tan throat. The wolf was already urging him to bite and claim but Jensen was all but frozen by the vision above him. He could feel muscles shifting beneath his fingertips and the scent of blood made him glance down to where his claws had elongated, puncturing the fragile human skin that they wore as a façade to hide the wolf that was all but howling for release and when Cougar’s shifted again, riding out the thrusts of Jensen’s hips, pitch black eyes, that marked them as alphas, met his own.

Jensen couldn’t stop the small sound he made as Cougar leaned forward bringing more of their body in contact. “You are so fucking hot,” he whispered even though he knew the man must have heard it countless times before but Cougar didn’t brush the words off. Instead he pressed their cheeks together, the wisp of his hair tickling Jensen’s ear as Cougar’s hot breath sent the curls that had fallen in front of his face dancing.

“You are handsome as well,” the Latino wolf whispered, turning his head just enough to press his lips against Jensen’s skin as he inhaled….scenting him. “I would be pleased to call you mate.”

Jensen didn’t answer, instead using Cougar’s distraction to roll them over and the dark haired wolf barked out a laugh when Jensen captured his wrists pinning them to the bed as he bent closer. The world shifted around them, colours brightening as Jensen’s wolf surged to the fore and he didn’t need a mirror to tell him that the colour of his eyes now echoed Cougar’s. “I’d be pleased to call you anything you’d let me,” Jensen whispered as he slid his hands upwards to tangling their fingers together and though Cougar didn’t respond the tightening of his fingers and the heavy scent of satisfaction rolling off his skin in waves was agreement enough.

Shifting closer Jensen pulled one hand away, using it to trace Cougar’s leg where the man had hitched it against his hips, using the grip as a rein to pull Jensen closer as the blond pressed their lips together again.

This time there was no battle, no need to prove themselves and Jensen let the kiss pull him under as his wolf imprinted Cougar’s scent and feel to memory. It was the first steps of the bonding process and Jensen had heard enough stories to know that this was the make or break point…sometimes wolves would smell right but they would prove incompatible. It was an awful thing and Jensen stilled as he felt his wolf reach out, tendrils of a bond only comparable to the ones he shared with his close family slipping past the barrier of flesh and skin only to flicker over the new sense of the other wolf.

The moment seemed to stretch on forever before his wolf finally latched onto Cougar at the same time that Cougar’s wolf opened its own connection, bonding anchors hooking in Jensen’s mind as it pulled them even closer until it was impossible to tell where one wolf ended and the other begun.

When their wolves pulled back enough to give their human bodies the ability to move again, Jensen pulled away from Cougar’s lips, pausing once to inhale the mixed scent of the two of them that now lingered on the man’s skin before pressing tiny kisses to Cougar’s chest. His free hand slid downwards, claws leaving shallow marks that healed almost instantly as Cougar twisted restlessly beneath him. A sharp exhalation of breath the only tell that the man gave as Jensen’s thumb flickered over a dusky nipple but it was enough to bring a Cheshire grin to the blond’s face as Jensen followed his hands route with tongue and teeth.

Catching the pert nub between his teeth Jensen glanced up meeting Cougar’s eyes as the man raised up onto his elbows to watch him. The scent of arousal hung like a cloud in the air and Jensen’s own cock was begging for attention but this wasn’t for him. This was for the fearless wolf that had come this far, driven by a single scent and done everything but demand that Jensen take him as mate. Not that Cougar had to demand it because the thought of anyone else touching the man like this made something cold coil in Jensen’s chest even as he sucked at the nipple in his mouth, tongue lashing over the sensitive skin until Cougar groaned, elbows collapsing as he fell back onto the bed.

Smirking Jensen gave the nub one last nip before releasing it and shifting lower. Tongue dipping into the hollow of Cougar’s navel while he toyed with the man’s treasure trail and Jesus that name was so right because Jensen felt like the kid that had found the end of the rainbow here and his pot of gold was only hidden by a single item of clothing that Jensen was about to lay siege against like it was an enemy combatant!

As Jensen glared at Cougar’s pants, trying to figure out the best way to get them off without having to move from his spot a hand settled on his head, long fingers combing through his hair. “You think too much, amor,” Cougar laughed and Jensen just transferred his glare from the pants to the man wearing them.

“Laugh it up now, funny guy, but I’ll have you know taking off clothes should always be done at the beginning of the night because getting up just to get them off is not as sexy as it is in movies,” Jensen groused.

Cougar just cocked a brow before pulling his knees towards his chest temporarily displacing Jensen as the blond watched him in confusion. Balancing on his heels Cougar lifted his hips and pulled the pants down to his thigh then kicked them off in a fluid motion that made Jensen’s eyes narrow suspiciously until his brain returned to more important things than petty jealousy….like the fact that Cougar was now completely naked and spread out on his bed like a gift from God, a gift that was going to keep on giving if Jensen had anything to say about it.

Crawling up the bed Jensen paused as he hovered over Cougar’s body the scent of the man’s arousal thick in the air blending with Jensen’s own in a way that made his wolf whine with satisfaction. Keeping his eyes on Cougar Jensen ducked down to trace a wet path along Cougar’s inner thigh with his tongue, inhaling the scent of Cougar’s musk as he moved closer to the man’s erect cock where it was pressed flat against his stomach. Cougar’s eyes were all but begging him to keep going going but before he reached the place where the man wanted him to be, Jensen pulled back, pressing a tender kiss against the soft skin, at the top of Cougar’s thigh, before switching to the other leg.

Cougar growled his dissatisfaction at the lack of touch where he needed it most, thrusting upwards so that Jensen would get the point but the blond just grinned up at him as he settled himself properly between Cougar’s legs and the Spaniard gasped as Jensen’s tongue traced the underside of his cock.

“Dios,” Cougar breathed into the silence and Jensen snorted.

“I’ll accept that but you can just call me Jensen,” he taunted and a snide reply was on Cougar’s tongue but before he could spit it out Jensen’s fingers encircled his cock, moving the erect member towards his mouth and Cougar swallowed whatever response he’d been planning to toss out as Jensen’s lips closed around the head of his cock. The only thing that his mind was focused on now was the hot, wet suction around his cock and he gasped for breath as Jensen bobbed his head, one hand falling to clutch at the blond’s hair when the man started to hum, his throat clenching around the tip of Cougar’s cock as he swallowed him down.

Jensen pulled back, his tongue flickering over his lip as if to capture every bit of Cougar’s taste before he shifted further down so that could lick at the man’s balls, grinning when Cougar’s legs spread even wider because if that wasn’t an invitation he didn’t know what was.

Using his free hand he reached beneath him to shove his trouser down before kicking them off, never once stopping his motion. The moment that his cock was freed Jensen’s hips jerked forward, pressing the erect member against the silken sheets and the moan that escaped him wasn’t as quiet as he thought it was because Cougar’s eyes narrowed then in a move that was all the proof Jensen needed to claim that Cougar was a fucking ninja, the man pulled away and all but flung himself at Jensen sending them both tumbling from the bed.

Jensen's breath was forced from his body as his back hit the floor but thankfully Cougar’s fall was more graceful and no one lost any vital body parts.

While Jensen was still momentarily stunned Cougar rose over him like the pictures of sirens that Jensen had seen in movies, his long hair brushed his shoulders as he straddled Jensen’s hips again, thrusting forward as he gripped their cocks in one hand and Jensen groaned at the feeling. His eyes rolled back and he grabbed at Cougar’s hips, feeling the motion of bone and muscle beneath his hands as Cougar started a slow grinding that had Jensen seeing stars because holy fuck naked dancing was apparently now a thing…a thing that Jensen would wholeheartedly support!

Jensen’s eyes shifted back to Cougar’s face when the man stilled only to narrow at the dark smile he found there as Cougar leaned forward, bracing his hands on either side of Jensen’s head.

“What do you want?” he whispered, the words honey coated with the man’s accent and the kinks were just rolling out tonight because Jensen’s cock had just decided that it was willing and able to sit up and beg.

“You could go back to stroking me off,” Jensen suggested, groaning when Cougar just shook his head, his hair tickling Jensen’s skin. Sucking in a sharp breath Jensen tried to thrust upwards but Cougar had anticipated that and the man lifted up so that there was nothing for Jensen’s cock to rub against. “Dude….come on,” Jensen groaned as he fell back.

Cougar hummed, licking at the curve of Jensen’s ear. “Do you want to fuck me?” he whispered and holy hell…..it was official Cougar was trying to kill him. Jensen made a sound that he would deny on pain of death when Cougar lowered himself again, rubbing his ass against Jensen’s cock in a way that made Jensen want to just grab the fucker and show him exactly who he was playing with.

Cougar’s hand dipped between them as he spoke and Jensen groaned at the feeling of Cougar’s cock pressing against his own. “Do you fuck like a wolf, amor?” the Latino asked. “All fire and fury….you look like you do.”

“Jesus, Cougar come on,” Jensen begged because seriously fuck pride, he was about two steps away from dying of the most epic case of blue balls ever known to wolfkind. The only response he got from Cougar was a low chuckle as the man’s thumb swiped over the crown of Jensen’s dick sending shivers racing up his spine as he growled, muscles shifting beneath his skin as his wolf tried to claw its way out.

“Are you wolf or are you a man?”

The whisper was low enough that if Jensen had been a human he’d have missed it but wolf hearing was adapted to capture the smallest sound and with his whole being focused on Cougar there was no way that Jensen could have missed the words.

Snarling he rolled them over, taking in the flush of Cougar’s cheeks as the man’s legs came up to cradle Jensen’s hips, tongue flickering over his kiss swollen lips. “Like that, amor. Take what you want.”

Jensen whined as he thrust into the grip that Cougar hadn’t lost on their cocks, nuzzling into his mate’s neck while his muscles tensed, his climax clawing up his spine and as he spilled onto Cougar’s stomach his own cries of satisfaction were drowned out by Cougar’s howl.

When several wolves outside took up the cry Jensen snorted, too worn out to be embarrassed as he shifted to the side so that he wasn’t crushing Cougar even though he knew that the man could easily handle his weight. “Did your nickname come from the fact that you fuck like a wildcat?” he queried finally but Cougar just snorted in response though Jensen could hear how fast his heart was going.

“You will have to wait to find out,” the Latino responded finally and Jensen turned to face him with a grin because if he had anything to say about it he was going to find out everything about Cougar.


	2. Chapter 2

It was two days before they left their rooms and Jensen wasn’t proud to say that he’d pushed the decision because he was pretty sure that Cougar was going to break his dick. Thankfully his mate hadn’t questioned the decision though the look of amusement on Cougar’s face when Jensen pretty much ran for the door said that maybe he wasn’t being as stealthy as he’d thought.

The moment they stepped outside Jensen wanted to turn right around and go back into his room…anything to wipe away the image of the leer on his sister’s face as she waited for him just beyond the door.

“I see you’ve finally decided to come up for air,” she commented snidely and Jensen just frowned at her.

“I see you still don’t have a life,” he retorted, ignoring the rolled eyes he got in response. “Don’t you have something better to do than hang around and try to make my life hell?”

Jodi scoffed lightly as she shoved him aside. “It’s cute that you think I was waiting for you,” turning to Carlos she smiled holding out a hand. “Hi, I’m Jodi and seeing as you just spent two days screwing my brother…..”

“Jodi, I swear to God…..” Jensen cut in but his sister just steamrolled over him.

“I think I should be the first to say welcome to the madness that is our family.”

Cougar glanced at Jensen before taking Jodi’s hand and raising it to his lips, brushing a quick kiss against her knuckles before releasing her. “Gracias….for the welcome,” he murmured and Jensen eyed his sister as she flushed.

“I can see why you spent all that time in there, J, he’s scorching,” she whispered in sotto voce.

Cougar coughed, turning his face to hide his laughter as Jensen dragged Jodi away from his mate. “Introduction over, now go away. Don’t you have someone else to terrorize?”

Jodi pouted. “Fine, I can see where I’m not wanted.”

Jensen cocked a brow and waited as his sister’s expression shifted to something less Jodi-like, which was to say less evil. Before he could react she darted forward and pulled him into a hug. “Just be happy, ok?” she whispered and Jensen let his arms curl around her as inhaled her scent.

“I promise I’ll try, Junebug,” he responded, using the nickname that she’d hated when she was younger but had come to accept when Jensen didn’t seem willing to give it up.

Pulling back Jodi nodded. “I’m gonna run interference because Mom was about to track you down when I left her, so you’ve got five minutes tops,” she told them before turning to Carlos. “See you around, brother-in-law,” she grinned, waving as she headed off towards the communal houses that were sprawled across most of their territory.

Jensen watched her until she vanished around a corner before shaking his head and turning back to Cougar. “So wanna blow this Popsicle stand?” he grinned. The dark haired wolf just snorted before nodding in agreement and Jensen gestured for the man to follow him as he took them along the shortcut to the kitchens.

The Jensen compound was built like a maze…..not that it had ever affected any of the wolves living there because most of them just followed their nose when they had somewhere they needed to be but more than one human had gotten lost trying to find their way around. Jensen slowed his pace as they moved, letting Cougar take in the scents and sights that he’d need to find his way when he was on his own.

Glancing around he tried to see the place through Cougar’s eyes.

While their territory had over seven hundred wolves officially only about two hundred of those were actually living on the compound, the others belonged to smaller packs that fell under their jurisdiction.

The main building at the centre of the compound was used as a meeting hall and library of sorts. Everything from birth records to death certificates were kept there and it was where the heads of the packs gathered to discuss any matters that came up….Jensen usually avoided the place like the plague.  Behind the main building were the training grounds where at any given time the enforcers who served as the pack’s police force could be seen running drills.

As they passed the grounds Cougar paused, his eyes flickering over the young wolves that were being initiated.

“I think they’re one of the best batches we’ve had all year,” Jensen commented as he watched the young group speed through the drills. If Cougar hadn’t been there he probably would have gone over to watch but even as the thought flickered through his mind his stomach growled, reminding him of where they were supposed to be.

Cougar’s smirk said he’d heard the sound as well and Jensen laughed as he tangled their fingers together taking in the surprised look on his mate’s face as he dragged him towards the kitchen.  “Don’t go being all smirky if I hadn’t suggested food you probably would have tried to exist on sex alone.”

“But it was good sex,” Cougar commented slyly and Jensen almost tripped over thin air as his brain decided to replay exactly how good the sex had been.

“Awesome sex aside, man cannot live on sex alone,” Jensen retorted and Cougar hummed beneath his breath....Jensen wasn’t sure if the man was agreeing with him or not but he liked it. Cougar wasn’t easy to read like the other wolves Jensen had dated and it made his wolf curious which kept Jensen’s attention fixed firmly on the man at his side.

The kitchens loomed before them. The building was non-descript because even the humans could probably smell the savoury scent of food that seemed to cling to the air around the construct.

Stepping through the open door Jensen watched as Cougar scented the air delicately; if Jensen hadn’t been looking at his mate he wouldn’t have noticed it though there was no way that he could miss the way Cougar’s fingers tightened around his at the possibility of food.

Pausing in the corridor Jensen gestured to the main hall. “That is what we call the chow hall and trust me you don’t want to go in there during main meals; it’s like watching a shark frenzy,” he explained before pulling Cougar down the left corridor. “Most of these halls lead to private meal rooms, my family usually uses this one but since they’re all out there looking for us we should have it to ourselves.”

Cougar nodded in understanding, following Jensen as he made his way to the end of corridor and turned into the large room that lay there. The room itself was about twice the size that the bonding room had been and was empty except for a large table and several chairs. Releasing Cougar’s hand reluctantly Jensen gestured for the man to sit before moving towards the doors that led into the back room, grinning at Cougar’s confused expression.

Each hall or room had its own small kitchen that was kept stocked by the main one, it was something that had been set up because having all the families together at meal times tended to be….volatile. During feedings even the most docile of wolves could turn aggressive and this setup minimized interaction that could lead to fights. Shuffling over to the main spread Jensen grabbed a platter and filled it with as much meat as he could before heading back to where Cougar was waiting.

“I don’t know what you liked so I got a bit of everything,” he muttered as he placed the platter on the table.

“This is good,” Cougar commented, reaching for a fork and Jensen watched as the man speared a piece of baked chicken. Cougar hummed in pleasure as he took a bite and then to Jensen’s surprise the man held the fork out to him.

Jensen blinked then leaned forward accepting the food offering. Cougar’s lips curved into a pleased smile as Jensen chewed and the sight made his heart flutter in his chest. He was pretty sure that he’d do just about anything to make Cougar smile like that.

When Jensen reached for a fork of his own Cougar shook his head and gestured for Jensen to come closer. The moment that Jensen shifted his chair close enough Cougar speared another piece of meat holding it out for him.

Accepting the offering Jensen chewed slowly giving Carlos the time to eat his own bite of food.

“So is this a thing?” Jensen asked leaning back when Cougar stood. The man grinned at him as he straddled Jensen’s legs, settling himself in the blond’s lap as Jensen’s hands fell to his hips.

“I like it,” Cougar whispered, this time reaching for a grape from the fruit and salad platter that Jensen always ignored. Holding it up Cougar waited until Jensen opened his mouth before slipping the grape into his mouth. Leaning down he licked at Jensen’s lips chasing the flavour of the fruit.

Swallowing Jensen let his head rest against the back of the chair, fingers tightening when Cougar nuzzled his neck before shifting back to press tiny kisses at the corner of his lips. “You do know that you’re trying to wring blood out of stone, right? Cause there’s no way I’m getting it up again in the next hour or so.”

Cougar chuckled as he reached for another grape. “This is not for sex,” he murmured watching Jensen with dark eyes. “I want them to know you are mine.”

“Possessive little fucker aren’t you?” Jensen growled, hips twitching forwards despite what he’d told Cougar before. The smile he got in response was just this side of devious and it made Jensen laugh as he gave in to the urge to pull Cougar closer, spreading his legs so that the man had to hook his ankles around the rungs of the chair to keep his balance. “I’m starting to think they sent you off to get mated because you were too much for them to handle.”

“You do not seem bothered,” Cougar pointed out as he popped a grape into his mouth.

Jensen hummed lightly. “I like a challenge,” he admitted, eyes narrowing at the sound of footsteps approaching them, the familiar scent of his family was mixed with another that Jensen recognized as Maria. Cougar tensed in his arms, a small frown gracing his face before his expression turned blank though he didn’t make a move to shift from Jensen’s lap.

“Well if this isn’t a sight for sore eyes…..” Martina Jensen purred as she entered the room and Jensen barely resisted the urge to twitch under her gaze though the heat on his face told him he was probably turning red. His mom looked like the cat that had not only eaten the canary but also knew where the rest of the canaries were hiding and Jensen really didn’t need to have his parents speculating about his sex life….it was bad enough that they could smell it!

“Do not tease. I remember well how you were when you met Mark,” Maria Alvarez commented, stepping past Martina as Cougar shifted so that he wasn’t blocking Jensen’s view of the two. “Carlos, I see that you are becoming well acquainted with your mate.”

“Si,” Cougar responded, turning so that he could meet his mother’s eyes without giving up his seat. Curling a hand around Jensen’s nape Cougar smiled. “He is…perfecto,” he whispered and Jensen was pretty sure that his face was going to combust any moment now…the fact that Maria was pretty much leering at him didn’t help matters either.

“He is muy bonito,” she agreed and Jensen knew enough Spanish to guess what that meant and he wasn’t pretty, dammit! He was a grown wolf and head of his pack’s enforcer unit. Frowning he opened his mouth to tell them just that when Martina cut in.

“Thank you, I grew him myself.”

Jensen slapped a hand across his face as Maria barked out a harsh laugh while Cougar chuckled and Jensen was tempted to dump the man onto his ass because this was not funny!

A long moment later he sighed as their laughter died down. “If you’re all done….” He gritted out as his mom snorted again but thankfully this time she managed to control herself and after a few breaths she smoothed her expression into something more serious.

“Lo siento, Jacob,” Maria placated, hands held up as if in surrender, not that Jensen believed the woman knew what surrender meant. “I wished to formally meet my son’s new mate,” she explained.

Jensen eyed her and his mother suspiciously but when Cougar’s hand strayed to his nape combing through the soft hairs there he sighed and slumped, pressing his nose against Carlos’ shoulder.

“You can stop gloating, mom,” Jensen muttered, his voice muffled against Cougar’s shirt.

“Why would I be gloating?” Martina, inquired, her tone innocent though the amusement in her scent made Jensen wrinkle his nose. “It’s not like you fought me tooth and nail because you were so sure that your own mother couldn’t find you a proper mate.”

Jensen huffed pulling back so that he could meet his mother’s eyes, taking in the bland expression on her face. “Ok, I give. You were right, Cougar is awesome and I’ll never doubt you again.”

“It is a good match,” Maria agreed as her smile softened.

“Of course it a good match I told you that years ago when you kept complaining about Carlos’ stubbornness….God knows that Jake was the same.”

Cougar made a soft sound as he shot his mother a wounded look but Maria just rolled her eyes at him.

“Do not give me that look. There were times when I truly believed that you were the devil,” she snarked, crossing her arms across her chest as Martina’s words registered and Jensen turned his narrow-eyed gaze on his mother.

“Wait, what do you mean years ago? You said you started looking for mate after Robert left!”

Martina sniffed, glancing at her nails. “I don’t remember saying anything like that….” She muttered and Jensen gaped.

“How long have you two been planning this?”

“Not long,” Maria smirked, glancing at Martina in amusement as the woman choked on her laughter. “We only made the plan when Carlos turned ten.”

“Twelve years ago.” Cougar hissed, straightening as he glared at his mother and Jensen was starting to see where his mate had gotten the nickname.

“Nothing was set in stone,” Martina cut in, waving her hands as if to bat away the very thought. “The facts of the matter is Maria’s pack has grown exponentially over the years as has ours but where the Jensen clan is established in one location the Alvarez pack has moved from area to area as their ancestors have done for many years…..”

Jensen nodded because this was something he was well aware of and his mother knew that so there had to be a point that he was missing.

“However twelve years ago the pack petitioned to change that,” Maria interrupted, taking over the explanation and the way that Cougar tensed said that the man hadn’t know anything about that. “The life that we had led no longer agreed with most of the families and they wished to….set down roots. However the Spanish packs were not as accepting. They claimed that we had no pack boundaries and for us to lay claim to any one area would disrupt the systems already in place.”

“I’m sorry but you’ve got the largest pack in Spain,” Jensen frowned. “How the hell would they stop you if you wanted to set up shop somewhere?”

Maria wrinkled her nose at the question. “To take the land by force would mean war….a war that we would likely win but not without leaving many dead on both sides. It was not worth it, which is why Jose and I relocated the pack to America after negotiating with your parents.”

Martina nodded. “We’ve got more than enough space and God knows that I could use another female on the council,” she muttered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It was Maria’s idea to combine the packs but we knew that that would mean one of you would lose your position as heir, unless……”

“….unless we married,” Cougar guessed “And you did not think to tell us this?”

“We would never have forced you into something you did not want,” Maria shot back and Jensen snorted.

“Yeah, you all just lied and let us believe that we actually had a choice. What would’ve happened if we weren’t compatible, did you even think about that?” he demanded.

“We wouldn’t have forced you…..” Martina repeated meeting his eyes steadily. “You were children and yes we took a risk but it was one that was done for the good of both our packs. And don’t think that we didn’t consider every possible angle, we knew that there was a chance that you two wouldn’t accept each other….that’s why the Alvarez pack has stayed in Mexico for so long.”

Jensen inhaled slowly as he listened to their words, there was a part of him that was pretty much going batshit at the thought of how long his parents had kept this form him even though he’d been the head of their enforcers for four fucking years already. But there was another part of him that didn’t even want to think about Cougar not being his because even though he’d only known the wolf for a few days Cougar had gotten under his skin in a way that made Jensen’s wolf snarl at the very idea of not having the man as his mate.

“Look, I understand that this is a lot for you two to take in especially now but we need to finalize things with the council,” Martina told them, her eyes cold even though regret threaded through her scent and Jensen was sharply reminded of the fact that this woman was not only his mother. She was also their alpha and Martina had never put her family before the pack nor would she ever…it was what made her a good leader and no matter how what she’d done hurt him, he didn’t have the right to judge her, not when he would have probably have done the same thing if he’d been in her shoes.

Cougar was tense in Jensen’s arms and the fact that the man wouldn’t meet Maria’s eyes said that he was just as annoyed by their actions as Jensen was.

“Give us some time,” Jensen sighed, glancing at Cougar who nodded in agreement. “We’ll be there but just give us an hour at least to wrap our heads around all this.”

Martina opened her mouth as if to argue but Maria laid a hand on her wrist, effectively silencing her. “You have an hour.” The woman stated and Jensen inclined his head, watching as they both turned and left the room.

*O*

The moment that Jensen could no longer hear his mother’s heartbeat he dropped his head onto Cougar’s shoulder, exhaling slowly. “Well that was about seven different kinds of fucked up,” he snorted, humming when Cougar’s fingers found their way into his hair, long digits scratching in just the right places.

“It is for the good of the pack,” Cougar muttered, despite the fact that Jensen could still smell the anger clinging to his mate’s skin but Cougar was right….they’d give anything for the good of the pack. In this case the needs of the pack definitely outweighed the wants of the few but Jensen just wished his mother had fucking trusted him enough to at least tell him what she’d planned.

“I get that, it doesn’t make this any better though,” Jensen muttered petulantly.

Cougar sighed, fingers tightening for a second and Jensen barely resisted the urge to bat at the man’s hands when Cougar resumed his petting. “I do not like it but I do not like the thought of never having you either,” the Spaniard muttered. “You are mine, that will not change.”

Huffing out a breath Jensen nodded because they could argue semantics all day long but the fact was whether their mothers had realized it or not they’d pretty much made a perfect match, compatibility wise. “And that’s the God honest truth,” Jensen murmured agreeing with Cougar’s words before straightening. Cougar’s hand fell from his hair as he watched him curiously and Jensen wondered why he’d thought he would be the rational one in this mating because Cougar was ahead of him by leaps and bounds. The bond still thrummed with resentment but Cougar’s expression gave nothing away as he pressed his fingers to Jensen’s cheek.

Turning into the touch Jensen inhaled Cougar’s scent before pulling back. “Ok, enough of the pity party. If you guys are going to be living here permanently, I’d better show you around.”

Cougar took Jensen’s words as his cue to move and Jensen had to tamp down on the urge to grab after the man when Cougar slid from his lap. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that he could be a clingy bastard but the need to touch Cougar, that had been beating in his head like the sound of war drums ever since the mating bite, put all his other clingy tendencies to shame.

Cougar smirked like he knew exactly what Jensen had been thinking as he stretched.

Clearing his throat Jensen stood, trying to ignore the sensuality in Cougar’s actions and seriously when the hell had stretching become sexy?

Gesturing for Cougar to precede him Jensen followed the man from the room, navigating the corridor before leading Cougar back out into the yard. “First off I want you to meet some friends of mine,” Jensen told him as he lead Cougar past the large grey building that served as a school for the pups whose families didn’t want to risk them mixing in with the humans. The school’s yard was filled with the chatter of children and Jensen slowed as Cougar stared at the kids racing about in play.

“There are so many,” Cougar whispered and that threw Jensen for a second until he remembered that the Alvarez Clan didn’t have as many children in their pack.

“Yeah, they’re little terrors. If you want we can come back and play with them. They think it’s hilarious when we shift out. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I’ve been used as a horse,” Jensen quipped, grinning at the scent of surprise and pleasure bleeding from his mate.

“Gracias,” Cougar responded, his voice soft as he stared at the children. “I would like that.”

“Cool, we’ll add that to our To Do List. It’s kinda hard being a badass 24/7 and the kids…well it helps for them to see what shifting’s like, especially since some of the younger ones haven’t exactly mastered it yet.” He explained before leading Cougar away from the school.

The other building on the compound stretched towards the skies like a beanstalk, its black and grey exterior gleaming in the sunlight. “This is where we’ll probably spend most of our time if you want to work with me,” Jensen told him as he led Cougar up to the gates. The large metal structures slid apart as they approached and Jensen keyed in his code at the door, standing back to watch as Cougar stepped forward, his expression still stoic even as awe bled through their bond. Jensen smirked at that because the Enforcer HQ was his baby and if it looked a little like the Stark Tower nobody could blame him. If they’d wanted something ordinary they shouldn’t have given him free reign over its construction. “Cougar…welcome to the Enforcer’s HQ,” Jensen grinned and Cougar’s lips curled into a slow smile, his eyes scanning the large foyer that was almost completely covered in tech that Jensen had helped build.

The young wolf manning the receptionist desk glanced up as they approached and Jensen quirked a brow at the large bruise that covered half of Becky’s face but even as he watched the mark was healing and the woman was grinning so she couldn’t be in too much pain.

“Do I even want to know why you look like you were hit by a semi?” Jensen inquired while Cougar eyed the young woman curiously.

“Roque’s playing capture the flag again, sir,” Becky responded with a shrug. “It’s not as bad as it looks, just got caught in the face.”

“By what, the floor?” Jensen snorted, exhaling slowly when Becky nodded. “He’s playing king of the hill again isn’t he?”

Becky smirked. “We aren’t supposed to tell you but if you happened to go to training room five and you happened to see him doing something that he shouldn’t be doing, that’s not exactly telling is it?”

Jensen shook his head as he chuckled. Turning he shifted a bit to the side so that Becky had a clear view of Cougar. “Cougar this is my little cousin Becky, she’s my Uncle Vince’s daughter,” Jensen explained ignoring the leer on Becky’s face as her eyes roved over Cougar because Jensen was well aware that Cougar was pretty much catnip for wolves. Cougar inclined his head in a greeting and Becky made an odd sound that made Jensen narrow his eyes at her. “Becky this is my mate, Carlos Alvarez, so keep your grubby little hands to yourself.”

Becky sniffed petulantly, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Why do you get all the hot ones?” she demanded and Jensen just rolled his eyes, steering Cougar away from the desk before Becky decided to throw a tantrum.

“Ignore her; I have it on good authority that she was dropped on the head several times as a baby.” Jensen muttered as he turned them onto the corridor that led to training room five.

“She resembles your sister,” Cougar observed and Jensen nodded because he’d heard that one before.

“Yeah, the Jensen genes are pretty damn strong. You should see us as wolves, I can’t tell you how many times people used to mistake me for Jodi when we were cubs especially because then we pretty much only smelled like mom and dad,” Jensen chattered absentmindedly but Cougar was absorbing it all. Every new thing Jensen said gave him a little more insight into the wolf he called mate and every new scrap of information made Cougar more certain of his choice.

“Who is Roque?” Cougar asked, his eyes flickering to the glass windows they were passing by. Beyond the transparent surface he caught sight of what appeared to be an obstacle course where several young wolves were racing each other.

“Roque is a part of my team….well if I’m telling you about Roque I should probably tell you about Pooch too…..” Cougar’s eyebrow hiked at the name and Jensen just grinned as they turned another corner leaving the mirrored rooms behind. “Seriously I kid you not, his name is Pooch well it’s actually Linwood but only his mom and his wife call him that. They’re both part of my team and my best friends which automatically places them at the top of the food chain in here….the team thing not them being my best friend,” Jensen explained.

Cougar nodded in understanding, watching as Jensen paused before a large door and keyed in a code, moving slow enough for Cougar to catch the sequence and Cougar couldn’t help the warm feeling that settled in his gut at the act of trust.

The doors slid open and Cougar followed Jensen into the room just in time to watch a young wolf come flying through the air. The man hit the ground with a sickening crunch that made Jensen wince as he stepped further into the room and glared up the wall at the large black man who was staring down at the fallen wolf.

Another wolf was watching the whole thing from the bottom of the wall, his eyes hidden by a pair of large sunglasses and though Cougar couldn’t where the man was looking he could guess. Jensen moved forward to help the young wolf who was pushing himself to his feet and Cougar turned his attention from the stranger to his mate. Cougar took note of the way the younger wolf’s arm was swinging at an unnatural angle, muscles twitching beneath his exposed skin. Jensen shoved his sleeve up, twisting the arm forward with a quick wrench that forced a harsh whine from the other wolf’s throat as the man sagged against him.

Jensen bent his head and said something to the young man who nodded before heading out the door and Cougar hoped Jensen had sent him to get someone to look at his arm because wolf or not a bad break would mean that his arm would heal wrong and then it would have to be broken again to be fixed.

The door clanged shut behind the man and Cougar’s eyes swept to where a group of five young wolves were watching Jensen as he approached the wall.

“I swear to God, Roque if I didn’t have shit to do I’d come up there and kick your ass off myself,” Jensen growled but Cougar could hear the amusement in his tone as he rounded on the other wolf. “I thought you said you’d keep an eye on him.”

The dark wolf snorted, shoving his glasses up onto his forehead. “The Pooch wasn’t about to climb up there after his stubborn ass.”

“What the hell are you whining about? You’re the one interrupting my training session,” The other man called down from where he was sitting on the edge of the wall, dark eyes watching them all. If the man that Jensen was standing beside was Pooch then Cougar guessed that the one on top of the wall had to be Roque.

“Training session implies that they actually learn something other than to be very afraid of your brand of crazy,” Jensen shot back immediately.

“They learned not to try and act cocky,” Roque retorted with a soft snort that would have been too low for a human to hear as his eyes flickered to where the other trainees were watching the whole thing. “Ain’t that right?”

Cougar almost laughed as the group snapped to attention with a terrified,  “Sir, yes, sir.”

“Roque stop scaring the babies,” Jensen sighed swiping a hand across his face as Roque chuckled and Pooch shook his head at his team mate’s antics. Turning to the small group of trainee enforcers Jensen took in their various injuries before huffing out an exasperated breath. “The rest of you go find Anderson and see if he can fix you up,” he ordered and the group almost tripped over each other in their haste to leave the room.

“So who’s your friend, J?” Pooch asked, dark eyes shifting to where Cougar stood watching them and the smile that lit up Jensen’s face as he turned to face him made Cougar smile in return.  It was a weak expression of his own pleasure because he wasn’t yet sure of these new wolves but he couldn’t remain solemn in the face of Jensen’s joy.

“This is Carlos Alvarez and he just so happens to be my mate,” Jensen informed them proudly, his chest puffing up as he gestured towards Cougar.

“What’d you have to threaten him with to make him agree to that?” Roque snarked as he watched them all from his perch at the edge of the wall.

“Aww, don’t be jealous Roque-bear you know that you’ll always be my mistress, I’m sure Carlos can share,” Jensen quipped and the expression that flickered across Cougar’s face made Pooch snort.

“Yeah, right. The man looks like he’d gut anyone who breathed too hard around you,” Pooch grinned as he stepped forward, holding out his hand. “Linwood Porteous but you can call me Pooch,” he introduced himself, smile softening when Cougar shook his hand. “That bully up there is William Roque but everyone just calls him Roque.”

“You can call me Cougar,” Cougar responded, eyes narrowing at Pooch’s surprised expression but the man just held up his hands in supplication.

“Hey, I ain’t gonna judge you based on a nickname.”

“I’m judging him based on the fact that he’s hanging around this idiot voluntarily,” Roque muttered and Cougar bristled as he glared up at the man because close friend or not a little respect wouldn’t kill him.

Jensen must have sensed his displeasure because the blond was suddenly there, his bright smile almost blinding as he reached out to grab the pair of glasses that Pooch pulled from his pocket. When Jensen slipped them on Cougar’s attention shifted from Roque’s words to the way that the glasses plus Jensen’s goatee made the man look less like the soon to be leader of his pack and more like a well-built computer nerd….it was an image that Cougar would like to appreciate all night long.

Jensen’s smirk said that he’d caught the scent of Cougar’s arousal as did the dramatic groan from atop the wall and Cougar turned cold eyes on Roque as the man smirked down at him.

“What you gonna scratch my eyes out?” The man taunted and Cougar could feel his wolf shifting beneath the surface of his skin, reacting to the blatant disrespect.

“The Pooch thinks you might want to shut your mouth, Roque,” Pooch muttered but Roque just snorted.

“Like he’s gonna come up here,” he smirked and Jensen grabbed Cougar’s arm when he took a step towards the wall.

“Just ignore him, he’s a bastard sometimes but he’s actually a pretty decent guy.”

Cougar glanced at Jensen’s face before his eyes moved back to Roque, slipping his fingers beneath Jensen’s he pried himself from the blond’s grasp. “I will not hurt him too much,” he promised, reaching out through the bond to assure Jensen that he truly didn’t mean to harm the other wolf just teach him a lesson. Jensen’s laughter at the words and emotions Cougar was pouring down the bond brought a smirk to Cougar’s face as he headed for the wall.

*O*

Cougar scaled the wall with ease…it was similar to the ones that his mother used in their training simulations and he found the grips easily hauling himself higher and higher with the same quick footedness that had earned him his nickname as a child. Barely a minute had passed before Cougar was pulling himself up onto the top of the wall where Roque was waiting with an unimpressed look on his face.  

Cougar paused to consider the man and Roque bristled under his scrutiny, dark eyes flashing amber as he glared at Cougar.

“What you waiting for an invitation?” he taunted, spreading his arms wide. “I’ll even give you a free shot before I toss your skinny ass off of here.”

Cougar cocked his head with a smirk because this wasn’t the first time someone had underestimated him because of his appearance.

“I will allow you to apologize,” Cougar responded and Roque frowned.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Apologize and I will make your defeat….less embarrassing,” Cougar replied and he could almost see Roque’s hackles rising.

“You want an apology?” the big man sneered. “How about fuck you?”

Cougar shrugged and took a step forward, then another until he was racing towards the other man and Roque braced himself for their impact as Cougar leapt at him but the man was braced for Cougar’s weight, not for the weight of the three hundred pound Dire wolf that slammed into him.

Cougar snorted in amusement, leaping backwards as Roque went sailing from the wall, disbelief still clear on his face while  he hung suspended in the air for a moment before gravity sent him plummeting to the floor.

*O*

Jensen gaped as Roque hit the ground hard but the wolf was smart enough to twist with the motion landing on hands and feet though his reaction wasn’t enough to stop the startled grunt of pain that escaped him. Glancing up Jensen met the eyes of his mate as Cougar watched them.

Carlos’ wolf was beautiful, charcoal grey fur bleeding into the darker patches that surrounded Cougar’s nape. Alpha wolves were always born with dominant Dire wolf traits and Jensen could see their ancestry peeking through in Cougar’s size…In truth Carlos was probably as large as he was and that was saying something because Jensen even towered over his father and uncle, who were two of the largest alphas seen in years.  Cougar’s amber eyes flickered from Roque to Jensen, his gaze speculative for a moment but when Jensen grinned up at him Cougar snorted, shaking himself in a move that sent his fur rippling make him seem even larger. Then in one sinuous move he planted his feet, lifted his head and howled, the sound echoing through the walls of the building and Jensen could hear several of the cubs outside yipping in response as they tried to imitate the call.

Snorting in amusement Jensen turned away from his mate’s little victory moment and shifted his attention to Roque. Holding out his hand he smiled when the man took it with a disbelieving chuckle. Thankfully Roque was one of the few wolves that respected the need to prove oneself within the pack and Jensen hoped that their little stunt had wiped the slate clean where Roque and Cougar were concerned.

“I probably should have warned you that he’s a sneaky little shit but you were the one poking the cat,” Jensen smirked and Roque glared at him as he rotated his wrists checking for any damage left behind by his fall.

“Sneaky can save your life,” Roque muttered before turning his attention to where Cougar was still watching them. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to kick your ass for that stunt,” he growled up at Cougar.

Carlos just bared his teeth at him in a snarl that clearly said he wasn’t scared of Roque’s big talk and Jensen could see much drama in their future.

“All the Pooch has to say is that you two are idiots,” Pooch snorted, “Climbing walls like damn cats, Pooch ain’t got nine lives and Jolene would take all nine of them if she ever saw me up there.”

“You’re so whipped, it isn’t even funny,” Jensen laughed, his eyes flickering to Cougar as the large wolf leapt from his perch, landing lightly on his paws before shifting from wolf to human just as easily as he’d done on the wall. For a moment Jensen’s brain froze as he took in the sheer hotness of the man he called his mate and it wasn’t until Pooch snorted that he managed to drag his eyes away from the line of hair below Cougar’s navel.

“Says the man with drool on his face,” Pooch muttered as he reached for a pair of the jeans they kept on hand in case someone shifted out during training. Jensen turned his glare on Pooch, partially for the quip and partially for the fact that his view of Cougar’s assets was now being blocked by the clothes that Pooch had given his mate.

“You’re just jealous that you don’t get to share this hotness,” Jensen pouted, ignoring Cougar’s soft laughter.

“I dare you to say that shit to Jolene’s face,” Roque cut in with a smirk and Jensen shivered because alpha heir or not, there was no one in their pack who wasn’t terrified of Jolene and for good reason. The woman was batshit crazy and not scared to show it. Roque must have caught the expression on Jensen’s face because his smirk turned into a nasty grin that made Jensen glare at him because Roque was just as scared of Jolene as the rest of them.

Cougar’s fingers brushing against Jensen’s wrist hauled him from his thoughts and he turned to face his mate.

“We had an hour,” Cougar reminded him and Jensen nodded in understanding, they needed to get a move on or his mom would come looking for them.

“Right, as much as I’d like to stand around and trash talk, Carlos and I need to get a move on,” Jensen informed them ignoring Roque’s eye roll because he had long ago come to the conclusion that beneath Roque’s tough exterior there lived the sassiest bitch that had ever sassed….and yes that sounded better in his head so Jensen was never going to say the words aloud. “Pooch, you’re in charge of the rest of the training which means that if I hear about anybody being tossed off walls without a damn good explanation I’m setting Jolene on both of you.”

“The Pooch isn’t scared of your threats,” Pooch bluffed and Jensen just quirked a brow because even if he wasn’t a wolf he’d be able to call the man on that lie…..Pooch couldn’t lie to save his life, it was a sad and yet beautiful thing especially when compared to Roque who could basically tell you that the sky was pink without his scent changing the smallest bit. This was why Jensen didn’t place bets with Roque because any man that could lie well enough to fool Jensen’s nose wasn’t a man he wanted to risk his supply of chocolate on.

Pushing away the thought Jensen refocused on the two. “Whatever you say, Linwood. All I’m saying is if I have to come back here because you broke the new recruits you two are going to have to go toe to toe with Jolene,” Jensen grinned, taking in the displeased scents rolling off his teammates. “Now I’m going to have to love you and leave you because Cougar needs clothes that don’t make him look like something out of one of those romance books that Jodi keeps totting around.”

Cougar smirked at that, hitching his fingers through the loops of the jeans that were already hanging obscenely low on his hips and Jensen sighed because his mate had no shame whatsoever. Rolling his eyes Jensen gestured for Cougar to precede him before he waved at the guys as he left the room.

It didn’t take them long to make their way back to the bonding rooms and thankfully someone had brought Carlos’ clothes. Jensen watched as his mate exchanged the jeans for another pair of loose cloth pants before hauling on a pale linen shirt. When he was finished dressing Cougar removed the scarf and Jensen bit his lip as he watched his mate’s curls tumble free from their restraints, fingers itching with the urge to touch and he must have made a sound because Cougar turned to face him, one dark brow cocked in question.

Jensen didn’t say anything because he suddenly realized that he was allowed to touch Cougar as much as he wanted. Thought in mind he stepped closer, capturing an errant curl with his fingers before letting it slip from his grasp as Cougar tilted his head.

“You like my hair,” The man guessed and Jensen snorted.

“In case you haven’t noticed I kind of like your everything.”

The words were the right ones because Carlos stepped closer, rubbing their cheeks together in a manner that mimicked the way that they would have greeted as wolves. “I like your everything as well,” Cougar whispered and Jensen grinned as he buried his nose in his mate’s hair.


	3. Chapter 3

The walk to the council building gave Jensen the chance to show Cougar more of the compound. Most of it was family housing where the smaller packs stayed but there were a few buildings like the library that Cougar had paid particular attention to and Jensen promised himself that as soon as he could he’d bring the man back there.

They hadn’t run into any of Carlos’ pack yet but that was most likely because the housing for visiting pack members were on the outskirts of the grounds. Jensen was fairly sure that this was where the Alvarez pack would be staying seeing as the plans to join the packs had been kept secret for so long. He’d told Carlos as much and the dark haired wolf had inclined his head in agreement, after all it did make sense.

The council building itself was a dark construct that reminded Jensen of a cathedral for no particular reason. The building was almost as tall as the Enforcers HQ but its sprawling mass took up much more space.

“They pretty much do everything in there,” Jensen explained to Cougar as he keyed in his code at the gate. “Marriages, Birth records….if you need to know something about the pack somebody in there will be able to tell you. Personally I think they only recruit the nosiest bastards to work there.”

“But they are useful,” Cougar pointed out and Jensen scoffed.

“Just because they’re useful doesn’t make them any less nosey,” he commented, stepping back as the gates slid open before leading Cougar into the building. “Most of it isn’t in use anymore. Technically it was the first building on the compound and the pack used some of the rooms as living space but when we got more members they started building actual houses so we kind of had to shut off a lot of it or else Mom would have a fit about the electricity bills,” he grinned.

“There are members of my pack who have practices that they would need space for,” Cougar mused and Jensen paused, glancing back at him.

“Well they’re welcome to use any of the rooms they want, though we’ll probably have to clear them out first but I can’t see any problem there….I mean when this is all settled they’ll be part of our pack anyway so they have the right to go anywhere they want…” he babbled uncertainly because maybe Cougar’s pack didn’t want to have to work in the old dusty rooms that everyone had forgotten and seriously when would he learn to think before he spoke……

“Jake,” Cougar’s voice made the words dry up on Jensen’s tongue as he met his mate’s dark eyes but Carlos was just watching him fondly.  “Gracias, I think they will like that.”

Jensen nodded even as his wolf preened under Cougar’s slow smile.

*O*

Jensen nodded to the two wolves standing guard in front of the doors that led to the main council room. They’d had some trouble with eavesdroppers over the years and when not even the threat of punishment had dissuaded the nosier sets, Mark had started stationing guards outside whenever they were going to discuss something that he didn’t want to be public knowledge. So far it had worked because the alpha had been careful to chose the surliest wolves to put on guard duty and a pissed off wolf was not someone to mess with, especially a pissed off wolf who was trained to take down anything from a human to a velociraptor. So the council’s secrets remained secret and every wolf with even a hint of common sense avoided the building when meetings were going on.

One of the guards shifted to the side, pressing the release button for the doors and Jensen stepped forward as they slid open. The room itself carried the heavy scent of the woods, mainly because of the fact that everything inside was made of wood. It had been set up like that because the scent helped to keep the wolves calm and in a room full of alphas any measure of calmness was appreciated.

A large oak table dominated the centre of the room, its surface was bare except for a single carving of a howling wolf that had been etched into the wood years ago. Several cabinets lined the furthest wall and Jensen knew that the main records for the packs were kept there….nothing that would give away too much if it fell into the wrong hands. It hurt to admit but even amongst their kind there were those who would sell out the people they called family, to a rival pack, just to make a quick buck.

Several of the chairs surrounding the table were occupied and Jensen’s eyes flickered over the familiar faces of the heads of the smaller packs and several unfamiliar faces that he guessed were members of Carlos’ pack before they settled on his and Carlos’ parents. He nodded at them before making his way to his usual seat, thankful for the fact that it was at the other end of the table so neither he nor Cougar would feel overwhelmed by the other wolves. Taking his seat he waited until Carlos was sitting too before turning his attention to the head of the table.

His mom rose to her feet as soon as they were seated.

“Now that everyone’s here, we can start the meeting,” she began, bracing her hands against the table as she glanced around the table,meeting each wolf’s eyes in turn.  “Some of you are still under the impression that the meeting today is to do with Jake and Carlos’ mating……” she paused at the murmurs of discontent, holding up a hand and the room fell silent. “The mating was successful,” she grinned glancing at them and Jensen kept his expression stoic as several of the wolves followed her gaze. There was no way that they couldn’t smell the way that his and Cougar’s scents were intertwined but then again there were wolves in their pack that liked to play the field, so to speak, and it would take a few days for their combined scents to settle enough to declare them as bonded to the others.

“However the mating is not the only reason why the Alvarez pack is here,” Mark cut in and Jensen met his Dad’s eyes as the man stared at him over his steepled fingers. Where Jensen had gotten his hair and eye colour from his mother everything else was all his Dad and he could smell the curiosity rolling off Cougar as he studied the alpha. “When their petition for land was turned down by the Spanish council the pack alphas came to us. As you are all aware, we’re the largest pack in Northern America but our numbers have been dwindling. Once we were twice the size of what we are now but without new blood being brought in certain lines have died out and that is where the Alvarez pack comes in,” Mark explained, gesturing for Maria to take the stage.

Maria inclined her head in thanks before focusing her eyes on her pack members. “The decision to relocate was not an easy one. Even if the Jensen pack did accept, we both had heirs that were entitled to their position not only through blood but also effort.”

Jose nodded, agreeing with his wife and Jensen’s eyes lingered on the man because he’d only ever seen Jose once but he’d heard stories. Where Maria was brutality and sheer mayhem wrapped in human skin her husband was more subtle but no less deadly. “The pack has always been led by a wolf of the Alvarez bloodline and as our firstborn the duty would fall to Carlos much like the Jensen pack would be given to Jacob at some point in the future. We could not break that tradition and so we were left with only one choice…..a mating to unite both packs.”

“Were we never to know of this if the mating had failed?” one of the Spanish wolves inquired and Jensen eyed the woman. She was petite but there was something about the way that she held herself, body slouched forward as too sharp nails tapped against the table, that told Jensen that she wasn’t someone to mess with.

“If the mating had failed we would have found another way, Ana,” Maria responded, her eyes cold as she met the woman’s and Cougar tensed as the wolf’s lips curled into a sneer. There was a story there, Jensen was sure of it but this was not the time or place to find out what the story was.

“Did the boys have a choice?”

Jensen frowned at his uncle’s question because he would have thought that Michael would have known about the arrangement.

Mark exhaled slowly as he turned to face his twin. “It was never a certainty that they would be compatible so we left it up to them. They weren’t bound by any contract and if on meeting they didn’t wish to mate then they would have been free to go their own way.”

Michael frowned, holding his brother’s gaze for a long moment before nodding. “As long as this wasn’t something that you tried to force down their throats,” he muttered and Mark snorted.

“When have I ever been able to make Jake do something he didn’t want to?” he responded with a sharp smile. “We eliminated forced matings centuries ago and I wasn’t about to force my own child to suffer through one of those. We all know what happens to wolves that are bonded without their consent.”

The room fell silent at that because the written accounts of the mindless savages that were a result of non-consensual bondings explained why so many humans had through that all wolves were nothing but animals. It had taken them years to prove themselves to the humans, to prove that they weren’t the monsters that they’d been portrayed as for so long and there was no way that any pack would force an unwanted mating on its members.

“Seriously, we’re fine with the whole thing,” Jensen added, shattering the silence and Cougar nodded in agreement. “And yes, we weren’t happy when we found out about it but you can’t doubt a spontaneous mating, can you?” he shrugged, glancing at his mate only to find Cougar watching him. “As far as I’m concerned Carlos is it for me.”

“My wolf has laid claim to Jake, also,” Cougar offered up and thankfully that seemed to lessen some of the tension that had still been lingering in the air.

“That is good and well,” Ana muttered, the sneer still present on her face and Jensen was pretty damn sure that he wasn’t going to like the woman, at all. “….but it doesn’t mean that the pack will accept this decision. This goes beyond simply relocating, you know want us to be completely integrated into another pack.”

“If you are aware of another solution then you should say it, instead of complaining,” Cougar cut in and Ana glared at him but before she could say a word Maria was already speaking.

“Carlos is right, Ana. There is no other option. We could not remain where we were and the pack has already made their opinions, of going back to a nomadic lifestyle, known.”

“And no one’s trying to wipe out anyone’s pack,” Martina cut in with a frown. “Just because we live together doesn’t mean that you’ll have to change anything. Every alpha you see here represents one of the smaller packs that exist within our own. They have their own traditions and their own laws….the only time that either I or my husband are called upon to make rulings are if the problem involves members of the wolves that fall directly under our jurisdiction or if the issue is between more than one pack,” she explained.

“The same thing would happen after the merger, but in this case the main decisions would be made between the four of us,” Mark finished gesturing from himself to Martina, Maria and Jose.

“And what of this police force that your pack is known for?” Ana demanded and Jensen barely resisted the urge to slam his head against the table because the woman was like a dog with a bone that it really didn’t want to give up.

“The Enforcers fall under Jake’s jurisdiction,” Martina sighed and Jensen straightened in his seat when Ana’s eyes cut to him.

“If the packs were combined then we’d gladly accept any wolf from the Alvarez pack who wants to apply to join but it’s not going to be easy, training is intense and that’s why we mainly rely on volunteers,” he quickly explained. “I mean as it is, I was thinking that Carlos could share my responsibilities…if he wanted to?” he voiced that as a question glancing towards Cougar who simply cocked a brow in response.

“I think it would be….enjoyable,” Carlos murmured mostly for the others’ sake because Jensen could feel his excitement rolling through the bond at the mere thought.

Jensen rocked forward in his seat and exhaled slowly as he met Ana’s scrutinizing gaze. “See, Carlos is fine with it and I’ve got no problem taking in new wolves. The training that we put the Enforcers is enough to send most grown wolves crying for their moms so at this point nobody is going to say no to new recruits. Plus, if nothing else, it’ll sure as hell encourage pack bonds between them because that’s one thing you learn early on….watch your teammates’ back and they’ll watch yours because if one of you dies chances are the entire team is going to fall apart.”

One of the men from Cougar’s pack frowned. “Are these Enforcers not used only to patrol the pack grounds? Surely there is not much danger there?”

Jensen paused at the question, glancing towards his father because the answer to that question was straying into territory that wasn’t his to answer.

Mark straightened in his seat, pulling the attention of the wolf back to him. “Before my son answers that we need to know of your decision. Will you be part of the pack or not?”

The six wolves from the Alvarez pack glanced at each other while Jose and Maria remained silent but before long the eldest of the six, a elderly man with shrewd eyes, snorted.

“I would take a pack that will accept us over not knowing where I will be buried when I finally pass.”

“Eduardo….” Maria hissed, the look of displeasure at the thought of the man dying clear on her face but Eduardo just waved her off.

“I was named the head of my family before you were born Maria Alvarez, my time is coming soon and I would have my family settled before I go.”

At the man’s words the other four wolves voiced their agreement as well though Ana just stared at the table as if it held her answer within its wooden frame.

“Ana?” Jose queried and the woman glanced up finally.

“I will accept this offer but if I feel that my family is slighted then we will leave immediately,” she spat, her ire cooling significantly at the rumbled growl that echoed from Jose’s chest though she didn’t look away from the man’s face.

Jose nodded. “It is your decision to make but if it does come to that then we will make it clear that any member of your family that does not wish to follow your decision is welcome to stay,” the words were said in a placid tone but Jake flinched at the implication. It was one thing to argue with an alpha over how they managed their pack but to imply that their pack would willingly abandon them….well that was a whole other kettle of fish and from the way that Ana’s eyes narrowed Jensen could guess that the woman hadn’t missed the implication but she remained silent nonetheless.

When Ana’s silence stretched on Jose turned to Mark. “We are one pack,” he stated and Mark nodded a soft smile stretching across his face before he shifted his attention back to Jensen, who’d been watching the whole thing.

“Jake, explain the situation,” he ordered and Jensen’s gaze flickered down to the surface of the table as he tried to gather his thoughts. Finally he raised his head, glancing at the other wolves before his eyes settled on Carlos.

“Four years ago we got intel from several packs in Asia and England….wolves were just vanishing into thin air. At first the packs had assumed that it was just loners moving on but the numbers were too high to ignore…..”

“How many?” Maria asked and Jensen grimaced never once breaking eye contact with Cougar as he answered the alpha’s question.

“Seventy-nine…..seventy-nine wolves just gone without a trace. No sign of foul play, no sign of coercion it’s almost like they just got up one morning and stopped existing. Everything was gone, electronic records of birth, employment history, even the school records for the ones who’d lived in human populations. Everything was just wiped out.”

“And you kept this to yourselves?” Ana growled but Jensen wasn’t about to let the alpha run roughshod over him. Cold blue eyes settled on the woman’s face as Jensen’s lips curled into a sneer that bared his teeth.

“What exactly should we have done, lady? Cause let me tell you, you need way more than hearsay to get any of the packs to listen,” Jensen growled at her but before he could say anything else Cougar’s hand settled on his wrist drawing Jensen’s attention back to him.

“You listened,” Cougar pointed out and Jensen shrugged.

“They needed help; we couldn’t exactly turn our backs on them.”

“We’ve looked into all the accounts and they seemed completely random except for two things,” Martina cut in and Jensen shot her a thankful glance because just thinking about this shit put his wolf on edge….as if in response to his distress, Carlos’ finger tightened on his wrist as Martina continued.  “…..every person taken was between the ages of 20 and 35….and they were all male.”

Maria frowned. “That is not much of a connection.”

Jensen sighed at that, fingers reaching up to adjust his glasses. “Yeah, we know but that’s all we’ve got right now….take that away and all we know is seventy-nine wolves have vanished into thin air.”

“How do you know they did not simply wander off…perhaps they do not wish to be found?” Eduardo enquired, his attention focused on Jensen and the young alpha shrugged.

“That would be a good hypothesis if it wasn’t for the fact that someone went through a helluva lot of trouble to wipe their existence from every record known to man. Then there’s the fact that it’s started happening here too….”

“So far four of the loners that frequented our pack haven’t been heard from in over a year. The Hellman Pack has reported two and other packs are coming forward with more information,” Michael cut in. “This isn’t just some random occurrence, someone is picking wolves off like flies and now they’re dipping into our territory to do it.”

“And there are no leads on who this person may be?” Maria asked, her eyes narrowed in thought but Jensen just shook his head.

“We’ve got nothing. Whoever’s behind this…they’re good. They know that we don’t keep written records of loners and they knew better than to target the wolves while they’re on any pack grounds,” he explained with a grimace.

Carlos’ eyes lingered on Jensen’s face for a moment, brows furrowed. “You think this person is one of us?” he guessed and Jensen exhaled slowly as he nodded.

“That’s my theory but like I said we don’t have any evidence either way. For all I know this could be proof of alien abductions but that doesn’t change the fact that we have an obligation to look into this before things get worse.”

Nobody had anything to add after that and Jensen listened absentmindedly as his mother ended the meeting with a promise to announce their mating and the combination of the packs later that week.

*O*

Carlos remained silent as he followed Jensen from the meeting room. A quick glance at his parents told him that they were busy with the other heads of their pack and wouldn’t miss his presence which was a good thing because he didn’t want to stray far from his mate…not now.  Their bond was still new but Cougar could feel the apprehension leaking from Jensen’s side of their connection and it spiked each time the blond caught him looking.

Jensen didn’t say a word as they made their way back to the bonding room and Cougar allowed him his silence until they were inside.

Jensen dropped onto the bed with a weary sigh as his blue eyes flickered from Cougar’s face to the floor. “Ok, I know you’ve got something to say, Cougs, so have at me.”

Instead of answering the question Carlos took a step closer to his mate waiting until Jensen’s gaze shifted to his face before reaching out to brush his fingers along the blond’s jaw. “You are worried,” he stated watching the frown that flitted across his mate’s face. “Why?”

Jensen shrugged. “I don’t imagine that you guys were too happy hearing all that but what I told that lady….Ana, was the truth. In the beginning we did approach some of the other packs about what was happening but none of them paid it much attention because these wolves were loners and they move about, you know? It’s not like they’ve got a fixed address where you could ask their neighbours if they’d seen them and then file a missing person’s report.”

Carlos’ eyes narrowed because there was something that Jensen wasn’t saying. “But your pack did listen,” he pointed out and Jensen turned his head to press a kiss against Cougar’s palm before glancing up to meet his eyes and the pain lurking in the blue orbs made Cougar’s wolf whine uncertainly.

“They didn’t listen at first….remember how I said the reports started four years ago?” Jensen asked and Cougar nodded as his mate closed his eyes. “They started long before that.”

Frowning Cougar took a seat beside him on the bed. “How long?”

“Ten years before,” Jensen whispered and Cougar froze.

“Do your parents know this?”

Jensen shook his head. “Look the official reports are dated and stamped because it was information passed between the heads of the packs but….” he paused, one hand reaching up to tug at his hair. “I’m not explaining this right,” he growled in frustration.

Cougar shifted closer, tugging at Jensen’s shoulders until the blond was slumped against him. Burying his nose in Jensen’s hair Cougar shoved all the calm he could find down their connection, waiting until the smoky scent of Jensen’s worry faded into something less overwhelming.

“Breathe,” Cougar instructed, smiling when his mate exhaled without thought. “Now tell me, amor.”

“When I was a kid, I didn’t get along with the other cubs not even Jodi. My mouth got me into trouble and then my temper kept me in trouble so I was kind of a loner for a bit even though I was part of the pack…does that make sense?” Jensen whispered and Carlos hummed in agreement.

“Alpha cubs often have that problem.”

“Yeah that’s what my parents said too but it was hard to believe that when you’re a kid,” Jensen snorted. “But anyway that’s not the point. The thing is I kept to the outskirts of the pack so naturally I fell in with the actual loners. They were pretty cool people but one of them was a regular…Old Joe we used to call him even though he wasn’t all that old but the guy wouldn’ttell us anything more than his first name. He used to tell me about all these other packs he’d been to and the loners he met and I made him promise to take me with him one day when I was old enough to leave here without my mom losing her damn mind.”

Cougar laughed, probably amused by the thought of a tiny Jensen running off. The man had no clue how close Jensen had come to actually doing it. “Did he agree?”

Jensen snorted. “Agree  my ass, he said I was a pain in the neck and he’d sell me to the circus the second I got off pack grounds…..but he didn’t mean it, deep down in that coal that he called a heart, he really adored me.” Carlos rolled his eyes at his mate’s antics. “But not all of his stories made me want to go with him. He had this book where he kept all the names of the wolves he’d met, he said he wanted to know how many loners were out there and one day I caught him crossing a name out so I asked him what had happened to the guy and he said that he was gone.”

“He was dead?” Cougar asked though he was certain that he knew the answer to his own question and when Jensen shook his head Cougar closed his eyes.

“Joe said that there was this guy that collected wolves like those kids that pin butterflies to walls just so that they can rip their wings off. At first I didn’t believe him but it stayed in my mind until Joe showed me the book.”

“How many wolves?” Carlos whispered inhaling sharply as Jensen’s scent turned sour with sorrow.

“Fifty-two but if you count Joe then it’d be fifty-three,” the blond whispered. “Fifty-three wolves gone and I couldn’t get anyone to believe me….to believe him.”

“Jake….” Cougar started but Jensen just spoke over him.

“Don’t…don’t call me that. It’s Jensen, ok?” he breathed. “I didn’t tell you that for you to feel sorry for me either. If it hadn’t happened we…I mean, I wouldn’t have changed, I wouldn’t have set up the Enforcers.”

Cougar listened to Jensen’s words very carefully because he was starting to see a pattern he really didn’t like. His mate had introduced himself as Jensen but other than his teammates no one seemed to call him that, it was possible that no one wished to confuse the other Jensens on the compound but something was niggling at the back of Carlos’ mind. It was a leap but it was one he was willing to investigate, for his own peace of mind. “Jake is you…” he started and Jensen made a confused sound but didn’t pull away so Cougar continued. “Jake is the one that stands as the alpha heir, the one who changed because of this man…Joe. But Jensen is someone different.”

Jensen tensed, every muscle locked and Cougar tightened his grip, sure that this time the blond would try to escape but after several beats passed and he didn’t move Cougar’s hold relaxed. “Look I’m not crazy or anything and it figures that you and Jodi would be the only two people who noticed that shit because I love my parents but they’ve got the pack to concentrate on. It’s not like I’ve got a split personality or something like that, I just…..separate things.”

“Separate your personality?” Cougar frowned, brushing his fingers through Jensen’s hair.

“You remember when I said I had a temper? Well it was a little worse than that…my wolf didn’t understand that we were human too, that we had to act human and it almost drove me insane but Joe…well he picked up a few things in his travels and the Jake to Jensen thingwas sort of his fault. See,if I let Jensen take all of the wolf’s wants and needs then it left Jake to be the person who my parents expected. So there’s no real split between the two, I know that I’m Jake and I know that I’m Jensen, it’s just easier for me to cope this way,” the blond explained finally pulling away and the unsure look that he shot Cougar’s way made the man sigh.  His mate still didn’t understand, Cougar and his wolf had chosen him when all they had was his scent and the moment they’d actually met him…well, their mating was pretty much a foregone conclusion as far as Cougar was concerned.

“Which do you prefer? Jake or Jensen?”

His mate stared at him blankly until Cougar poked him in the side. “What?”

“Which name do you prefer when we speak?” Cougar prodded and the blond’s expression reeled between shock and awe.

“Jensen…” he whispered, “I like that one. It makes me feel more connected to the pack when people use that one.”

Cougar nodded in understanding. “Then I will call you Jensen when I do not call you amor.”

“But you’re ok with it, the whole….” Here Jensen gestured wildly. “….thing?”

“There is nothing for me to be not-okay about. We are learning each other, si?” Cougar responded and Jensen nodded.

“Yeah, I guess you can look at it that way,” Jensen agreed, scooting closer and Cougar held still as he watched him. “But what about the other thing…I mean maybe if I’d tried harder someone would have listened to me and we could have saved all the other wolves.”

“We do not know what has happened to those wolves and you cannot be blamed for that. You were a niño then and you are trying now.” Cougar reasoned, tracking Jensen’s fingers as they curled in the sheets.

“I just didn’t want to let Joe down,” Jensen whispered and Cougar’s hand dropped to cover his where it lay between them.

“If he could see you now, I think he would be proud.”

Jensen shot Cougar a tiny smile at that before shaking himself and Cougar could almost see the shift now that he was looking for it. When his mate was Jake there was something flat about his reactions like Jensen had been diluted but now even the small smile made Jensen’s eyes dance despite the worry Cougar could still see lurking in the blue orbs.

“Before the mating thing we were going to try and track down some leads on the last wolf that disappeared,” Jensen told him, his blue eyes flickering over Cougar’s face as he waited for his response.

Cougar cocked his head. “Your team?” he inquired and Jensen nodded. “If it is something you wish to do now, I will come too.”

There was no question in Cougar’s tone and Jensen’s grin widened.

“That’s good, I mean it’s better than I expected…not that I didn’t think you’d want to help or anything but I just wasn’t sure of who my parents had chosen and well you’ve met Roque can you imagine his face if my mate had been female….Roque doesn’t work well with women especially female wolves. He sort of forgets that they can’t do the shit we do unless they’ve had training, well he does that with everybody but it’s worse with women and I…..” Jensen’s words trailed off as Cougar slapped a hand across his mouth, narrowed eyes meeting the blond’s.

“I do not like to hear of these supposed mates that are not me,” Cougar gritted out and he could feel Jensen’s lips curling into a smirk beneath his palm. A moment later a wet tongue flickered out to press against his hand and Cougar shivered involuntarily as he pulled away.

“Don’t be jealous, Cougs, you know you’re the prettiest one of them all,” Jensen teased as he shifted closer.

“You are not funny.” Cougar pointed out but he didn’t move away as his mate pressed against him, forcing him backwards until Jensen was looming over him, the cocky smile from before still pasted on the blond’s face and though Cougar knew that Jensen was using this as a distraction he decided to allow the man this comfort.

“Yes I am,” Jensen whispered, ducking his head to nuzzle at Cougar’s throat and the wolf shifted beneath the Latino’s skin drawn to the surface by the scent of their mate’s arousal. “Ask all those girls.”

Cougar growled, hitching one leg around Jensen’s waist before using the other as a push-off point to roll them over so that he was straddling the other man. “There will be no girls,” he gritted out. Some deep buried part of his mind was well aware that he was being irrational because a bond like theirs would never let either of them stray. Even now Cougar could feel Jensen’s amusement slithering down their connection but it didn’t stop the irrational jealousy that reared to life at the thought of any wolf laying hands on his mate.

Jensen must have noticed his discomfort because the smirk shifted into something softer as Jensen slid his hands beneath Cougar’s shirt, pressing them against the man’s back until Cougar leaned forward. “Only you,” Jensen promised and Cougar huffed as he settled fully against the blond’s chest, studiously ignoring the heat of his blush as he thought about how he was acting. “I don’t care about how we met, I don’t care about anything that came before this, you’re as much mine as I’m yours, you know that right?” Jensen asked and Cougar hummed in response, even as his fingers tangled in Jensen’s shirt using the calm scent rolling off his mate’s skin to ground himself as the wolf retreated slowly.

“I am possessive,” he admitted after a long moment and Jensen snorted softly.

“We’re wolves, possessiveness is a given. Plus I’m not too civilized to challenge any wolf that thinks you’re free game to a death match,” Jensen muttered and Cougar chuckled softly as his mate stroked his back. “What, you think I’m joking? It’d be bloody, Cougs….like piranhas, just on land and seriously can you imagine what those little fuckers would do if they had legs?”

Turning his head Cougar pressed his face to the place where Jensen’s neck met his shoulders as the blond’s words trailed into silence.

“You, ok?” Jensen asked finally and Cougar grunted in response, barely focusing on the words as he let the sound of Jensen’s heartbeat lull him to sleep.

*O*

The dark haired man steepled his fingers together as he stared at the results that his last set of tests had produced. His office was silent except for the soft hum of AC unit that sent chilly waves of air flowing through the large space. Everything about the room and the man that called it his own was immaculate, from the pure white walls to the tailored suit that adorned the man’s frame. He called himself Max now, it was a name that he thought suited him well though he hadn’t bothered to claim a surname. The tests had been a hobby of his when he first started out in his business but now they were the foundation upon which most of his empire was built….not all of it because only a foolish wolf would put all his eggs in one basket and Max was not a foolish wolf.

Sighing Max pushed the records away before refocusing on the report that one of his informants had sent him. It seemed that one of the Spanish packs was getting a bit too close and Max wasn’t willing to let that happen. It had been hard enough to get the Alvarez pack to settle down so that they wouldn’t stumble across his main facility in their wandering, he wasn’t about to shut down his main research lab just because the Spaniards had finally decided to investigate what had been going on under their noses for years.

He had two choices, he could arrange an accident that would wipe out the pack while giving him the opportunity to remove a few more test subjects but that course of action risked detection. Alternatively he could just wipe out the entire pack. If nothing else it would distract the other wolves and throw them completely off his scent while Max took the time to either relocate or enhance the security measures he had in place.

Leaning back in his seat Max smiled, lips curling up to reveal the barest hint of an elongated canine….decisions, decisions. 


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning saw Cougar and Jensen manning the receptionist desk at Enforcers HQ as almost all of the eligible young wolves from the Alvarez clan streamed through the doors, filling out application after application.

Cougar was translating and keeping order while Jensen tried to stay on top of organizing the information he was being given. Roque and Pooch had been lounging about for a while until Jensen made them organize tour groups to show the new wolves the lay of the land, so to speak. Jensen hadn’t been impressed by the smirk that had crossed Roque’s face the moment that he rounded on his group of recruits but if the group couldn’t stand up to Roque’s madness then Jensen doubted that they’d last long in the Enforcers.

Cougar followed his gaze as Jensen watched Roque lead his little group out the door and Jensen answered the quirked eyebrow with a shake of his head because Cougar would get to see just how batshit Roque could be once Jensen managed to schedule them some training time. He probably needed to actually discuss Cougar joining the team with his mate as well but he doubted that Cougar would have much of a problem with the idea.

Turning back to the growing pile of applications Jensen barely resisted the urge to just flip the table over and run screaming into the night… because that type of action would lead to mutiny. He wouldn’t put it past Becky to burn the entire building down if he asked her to sort through it all on her own.  The look she’d shot his way when she realized that she’d have to rearrange all of the training team schedules to accommodate the new recruits had Jensen watching her suspiciously until she left the room. The other reason why Jensen wasn’t about to move was the man sitting beside him, after the twentieth applicant had come to Cougar for help filling out the forms his mate had developed a worrying twitch over his left eye that was starting to make Jensen fear for the life of his recruits.

So instead of the aforementioned plan to abandon ship Jensen just sighed and entered another applicant’s information into the computer. It was tedious work but it helped them keep track of who was who just in case the paper files got mixed up.

“Well don’t you two look like the zombie apocalypse came early?” Jensen’s eyes snapped up from the computer, grimacing when he caught sight of Jodi lounging against the front desk. It said a lot about how distracted he was if he couldn’t even smell his own sister coming a mile off.

“Please tell me that you’re not here to antagonize me because shared genetics or not I will make your life a living hell, starting with your credit rating,” Jensen gritted out as he turned back to the computer.

“Buenos Dias,” Cougar greeted and Jensen shot him a betrayed glare because there was nothing good about this morning. Carlos returned said look with a quirk of his brow as if he was daring Jensen to call him on his lie but Jensen didn’t have the energy or inclination.

“Hello, Carlos. How are you? Tired of my brother yet? You know I’m single and more than willing to take you in?” Jodi smirked and Jensen barely resisted the urge to throw one of the folders at her head. It wouldn’t do much good for anything other than his soul...his soul needed to see someone else suffering, it also needed to see sunlight but it would settle for mutual suffering.

Cougar just chuckled and shook his head at them before switching his attention back to the young wolf that was waiting on him.

“Jodi, why do you exist?” Jensen sighed as he finally finished entering the applicant’s data and reached for another file.

“Well, I did come here to give you a break because Dad said you were running behind schedule but seeing as you don’t need my help…” she trailed off.

The words were barely out of her mouth before Jensen was hopping the desk. “Did I say why do you exist? I meant what a lovely and beautiful sister I have. A sister who’ll sit and get this done while I try to rescue the recruits from Roque and Pooch because we don’t need any surprise lawsuits or mental breakdowns at least not until after they meet Becky. I use her as my crazy detector, anyone crazy enough to deal with her is perfect but now you’re here and you’re even more perfect,” he babbled as he pulled her into a quick hug.

Jodi just rolled her eyes, shoving him off her. “You’re free to go too, Carlos. Your mom said she’d send one of your packmates over to help me.”

Cougar nodded, following Jensen’s route over the desk. “Gracias.”

“No time for politeness, Cougs, run before she changes her mind and we get chained down,” Jensen urged all but towing Cougar out into the sun. “Freedom!” Jensen laughed, shoving his glasses up into his hair. “I never thought I’d see the day when I’d actually start to hate a computer and how the hell did they all find out about the recruitment thing so quickly?”

Cougar shrugged. “My pack talks,” he offered up and Jensen nodded twice.

“I think that’s a trait they share with our guys,” he admitted ruefully because wolves were as chatty as parakeets. “But I was serious about rescuing those guys though so next phase of our plan is to track down Roque and Pooch. Then after that I’ll show you how our team works…just in case you want to be part of it. Not that you have to or anything, it’s a choice and it’s totally up to you.”

Cougar just bumped his shoulders against Jensen, cutting off the blond’s babbling. “It is fine,” he responded and Jensen squinted at him.

“You sure?” he asked suspiciously.

Cougar just rolled his eyes. “Come, we will find your team then you will show me this ‘team work’ of yours.”

“Wait, I totally heard quotation marks there…what are you trying to imply, Cougs?” Jensen frowned.

Cougar just smirked in response and Jensen narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m highly suspicious of you, you know? You act all nice and innocent but I know that beneath all that hotness lurks a heart of pure evil sass.”

“You like it,” Cougar muttered and Jensen sighed dramatically.

“What can I say? I’m a masochist.”

*O*

Thankfully when they found Roque the recruits didn’t seem too traumatized though that might have had something to do with the fact that most of them couldn’t understand the threats that Roque was muttering and Jensen breathed a sigh of relief as Cougar sent them off with a few quick words.

Pooch’s group seemed to have fared even better, not that Jensen was surprised because out of the three of them Pooch had the softest touch when it came to new recruits. Most of the recruits that Jensen handled actually believed some of the off kilter things that he said and he’d ended up with a sort of Dr Frankenstein reputation that made it hard to get anything done without the wolves cringing away from him. It was funny in small doses but more often than not Jensen ended up assigning his groups to someone else so he could deal with the more experienced recruits who could actually decipher threats from jokes.

Navigating their way back into the HQ was much harder than getting out of it had been because the crowd of applicants had tripled since they’d been gone.

“I say we back away slowly and maybe they won’t notice we’re here,” Jensen whispered but Cougar just snorted as he followed Roque through the crowd and Jensen sighed before following them, leaving Pooch to bring up the rear of the group. Thankfully the recruits were more focused on get their applications in and Jodi just nodded at them as they passed by her desk.

Roque quickly led them to training room seven which was their usual stomping ground and Jensen breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that no one was inside. In truth he should have known which rooms were supposed to be in use but with the mass movement happening Jensen wasn’t going to begrudge anyone the extra space to keep the recruits while they went through the application process.

Pooch locked the door behind them and Jensen flopped onto the closest bench as soon as the lock clicked into place.

“Cougar, I love your pack and you’re all a bunch of badasses but how are there so many of you?” Jensen whined.

“Don’t make the Pooch have to tell you where babies come from,” Pooch frowned down at him but Jensen just waved him off.

“Not like that but dude….they’re like ninjas. I swear one moment there was just two of them being all nonchalant and filling out papers the next thing I know it was like a mass exodus.”

“We do things quickly,” Cougar offered up with a shrug but Jensen noted that he hadn’t objected to the ninja hypothesis.

“You ladies gonna sit there and gossip or are we going to get this thing started?” Roque cut in before Jensen could further investigate whether or not Cougar was secretly a ninja.

Jensen cast an evil eye the man’s way but the look on Roque’s face said he was unimpressed.

Huffing Jensen pushed himself up into a sitting position.

“I figure you guys already heard about the pack combination…” he started, at their nods he grinned. “Ok so that means that Cougar needs to be more involved in the Enforcers and I figured that the best way for him to do that would be to join the team….unless anybody’s got a problem with that?”

Roque snorted. “I still think he’s a sneaky fucker but I’ve not got a problem with him being on the team,” Cougar smirked at Roque’s response and the man just narrowed his eyes. “That shit wasn’t a compliment,” he growled.

Cougar’s smirk just widened and Jensen rolled his eyes at the two of them before turning to Pooch.

“The Pooch thinks that as long as he can keep your crazy in check then he’s a good influence.”

“What crazy? If anyone here is crazy it’s Roque….” Jensen spluttered, blowing a kiss in the man’s direction when Roque growled at him. “Don’t be mad Roque-bear you know that you’re all kinds of batshit crazy.”

“Roque wasn’t the one that scared the recruits because he was talking to his computer like a crazy person,” Pooch pointed out and Jensen flopped back down onto the bench with a huff.

“You say one thing about gutting someone and using their parts as trophies and suddenly you’re the crazy person,” he muttered to himself.

“Mi amor.” Cougar cut in and Jensen turned his face towards his mate. “The words…they are a bit loco,” he admitted and Jensen pouted because no one understood him or his artistic flair for words.

*O*

Max stared at the computer screen, his eyes tracking the lone wolf that was cutting across the Santiago’s pack grounds through the cameras the man had installed earlier that year. Every so often the figure would pause behind one of the building and small camps that littered the grounds and Max tapped his fingers against the table every time the wolf deposited an explosive in the correct place. It had been almost laughably easy to get the devices on the compound but then again his kind did think that they were invincible….Max was about to prove them wrong.

The moment the last device was in place Max smiled, leaning back against his chair as the man on screen shifted from human to wolf, his dark fur blending in with the shadows around him. The first howl that erupted from the wolf’s throat had several lights flaring to life around the compound and Max’s thumb caressed the long line of detonation buttons as the door to the pack’s main building opened. He’d planned it just right, his informant had told him that the pack meeting was scheduled for late that night which meant that everyone who was anyone would be in that building.

His informant bared his teeth at the people who stepped out into the night but he held his ground and Max could almost feel the wolf’s terror as Antonio Santiago stepped out of the building. The alpha cut a striking figure, his huge form almost obscuring the camera’s view of the Max’s informant but all Max had needed was the man’s presence.

Humming Max kept his eyes on the screen as Antonio tried to talk his informant into shifting but that wouldn’t happen and even if it did any information that the alpha managed to gain from him would be too late.

“Rock a bye baby on the tree top. When the wind blows the cradle will rock” he whispered, watching as the informant shifted forms but before the man could say a word Max was already pressing several of the buttons and the mini screens lit up like the fourth of July as the devices exploded.

The wolves on his main screen were moving before the fires from the explosions killed his cameras and Max’s smile turned into a smirk as they panicked.

“When the bough breaks the cradle will fall.” He sang beneath his breath as his informant pointed to the camera and he had the pleasure of seeing the rage on the alpha’s face as the man turned to face the lens a second before Max activated all the devices with a sweep of his fingers, then the anger turned to horror as fire engulfed the entire compound.

“And down will come baby, cradle and all.”

*O*

Jensen was in the middle of his drills when the sound of the klaxons made the whole team freeze, the frequency made his ears ring as Jensen skidded to a stop and thankfully Cougar didn’t run into him as he turned towards the sound.

Jensen didn’t have to order them to follow him as he raced from the building. His parents had drilled the importance of that sound into his head from the moment he could talk. The klaxons would only sound if a pack had been under attack and there were never any false alarms.

The moment that Jensen hit the main corridor he realized that whatever the fuck had happened was worse than he thought because there were several wolves in tears on phones and they all belonged to Cougar’s pack, a fact that his mate didn’t seem unaware of. But thankfully Cougar didn’t stop to ask questions and they’d almost reached the main building when a forlorn howl rang out across the yard. The sound made the hairs on Jensen’s nape stand on end and this time Cougar did run into him when he stopped abruptly.

“Mama.” Carlos gasped and Jensen barely had the chance to register his mate’s word when his mate went racing into the building. Every door was wide open and Cougar tore through them, leaving Jensen to follow him as another howl pierced the air and somewhere out on the compound another wolf took up the call until it rose in an undulating wave that ebbed and flowed as each new voice added to the cry.

Maria was curled around her husband when Jensen entered the main building, her face wet with tears and fur lined her cheeks as the wolf beneath her skin tried to claw its way to the surface.

Cougar was at her side in a second and his father shifted out of the way as Maria pressed her face to her son’s, whispering something in broken Spanish through her sobs and Jensen was just about to ask his parents what the hell was going on when something slammed into the bond that existed between him and his mate. The pain that seared down the connection was so strong that Jensen swayed on his feet and if it hadn’t been for Roque and Pooch at his back he probably would have fallen as Cougar shook his head trying to pull away from his mother but Maria held him fast as Cougar’s entire frame trembled.

“No, mama, no,” Cougar’s hoarse voice made Jose turn away and Jensen was getting really fucking tired off all the secrecy. Someone needed to tell him something before…..

The thought had hardly finished forming when Martina grasped Jensen’s hand pulling him away from his teammates and away from Cougar but the look on his mother’s face made him go willingly.

The moment they were out of hearing range Martina paused and glanced at the three of them. “We just received reports that the Santiago Pack was wiped out last night. Two hundred wolves and twenty humans were killed….there were no survivors.

Jensen gaped in shock as his brain tried to process the information but his mother wasn’t finished speaking.

“The pack was the only one who tried to back the Alvarez pack when they petitioned for lands but their vote was overridden because of the fact that the pack’s alpha was Maria’s older brother. The council claimed that family ties were influencing his decision.”

“Holy fuck,” Jensen whispered and Martina nodded because there were no other words to describe it really.

*O*

Cougar had never experienced loss like this before because while death was common amongst wolves, they weren’t human after all and it was stupid to forget the violence that lurked beneath their skin, he’d never felt the bone deep pain of grief that made his wolf want to lash out and hurt every and anything that was foolish enough to venture close. The only things that kept him still, kept him sane, was the knowledge that his mother was experiencing that very same loss and the steady strength that was pouring along the connection that he shared with his mate.

Cougar shut his eyes as he buried his nose in his mother’s neck, inhaling her familiar scent that was so like his uncle’s. He could remember the sorrow in Antonio’s eyes when he watched them leave after the council’s decision just as well as he could recall the times that his uncle had played with him as a cub. Just the thought of never again hearing his uncle’s booming laugh, never being able to hold his cousins in his arms….Cougar had to grit his teeth to keep in the howl that was trying to escape him.

There was talking around him but Cougar couldn’t focus on that, he couldn’t focus on anything other than the burning sensation in his chest as his wolf howled its rage in his head. His mother shifted away from him and Cougar was about to protest when her scent was replaced by Jensen’s and the wolf paused, its attention focused on the low cadence of Jensen’s voice as their mate spoke to them. Cougar let Jensen lead him away from his family but thankfully the man stopped before they were out of hearing distance, lowering Cougar onto one of the seats as he took the other one. Cougar made himself meet Jensen’s eyes, his wolf shifting at the anger that made the blue orbs spark.

“We’ll find out who did this, ok? If it’s the last thing we do, we’ll find out who it was and we’ll make them pay, I promise, Carlos.”

Cougar nodded silently and Jensen pulled him close again, ignoring the wetness where Cougar’s face was pressed against his skin and for that Cougar was grateful.

*O*

Jensen exhaled slowly not meeting anyone’s eyes when Cougar collapsed into his arms. He could still feel his mate’s pain writhing like a living thing as it wrapped around their connection and his wolf didn’t know what to do because this wasn’t something that they could fix. Cougar shuddered and Jensen shifted his gaze to the ceiling as the man’s tears wet his skin, eyes focused on the wolf that was painted across the expanse of concrete above their heads.

He didn’t care what it took but he’d keep his promise to Cougar, they’d hunt down the fuckers who’d done this and they’d make them beg for mercy.

*O*

“Look I don’t care if you don’t speak the slightest bit of Spanish, these people have lost a fucking pack so you will get your asses out there and you will be comforting, do you fucking understand me?” Jodi snarled at the young Enforcer who’d been complaining. She’d started gathering everyone she knew the minute she heard the news, the wolves would need the stability of their pack right now and by God she was going to make sure they got it! “They’ve just lost friends and relatives! If that had happened to you, would you want some fucking jackass trying to reason with you or would your wolf take some comfort from the fact that there was someone there that cared?”

The young wolf grimaced. “Understood, ma’am,” he responded and Jodi nodded, her eyes flickering over the others.

“Anybody else got anything smart to say?” she demanded, baring her teeth in a sharp smile when the group of Enforcers remained silent. “Good, now go find a wolf and be as comforting as fucking teddy bears, you get me?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” they responded before hightailing it out of the center.

The moment they were gone Jodi slumped in her seat. This was just one big clusterfuck and she had a feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better.

*O*

The more reports that came in the worse the situation became. The number of dead had grown from two hundred to four hundred because of the fact that the Santiago pack had apparently been reaching out to the other local packs with the information they’d been given.For a moment Jensen thought that that meant that they would have the support of all the packs who’d lost members to the explosion but if anything the other Spanish packs seemed even more determined to stay away because of it. It was like they were all afraid of whoever was behind what had happened but no one was willing to tell them anything and the growing tension born from the grief and anger surrounding the situation continued to grow until the air itself felt heavy with it.

“The next idiot that tries to cross those borders is gonna get his ass handed to him,” Roque groused from where he was leaning against the door frame to the small space of the place that Jensen had claimed as an office. Pooch and Cougar were helping Jensen work his way through the new reports even though Jensen had told Carlos that he didn’t need to but he could understand Cougar’s need to be active because if he was doing something he wasn’t just thinking about all of those who he’d lost.

Jensen glanced at Roque, noting the lack of blood on his hands so whatever he’d done to the wolf probably wasn’t too damaging.

“We’ve got to understand where they’re coming from,” Jensen sighed, marking the sentence that described the shrapnel that the blast had left behind. The more information he received the clearer the picture of exactly what had happened. “It’s been almost a week and all they’ve managed to hear is what the human police could give them. If it was any of us in that situation we’d try to get out so we could investigate for ourselves.”

Pooch scoffed. “If it was any of us we’d have crossed the border the day we first heard the news,” he muttered. “The only reason why we’ve managed to keep them here so long is because it’s the young ones who keep trying to run. The older wolves are busy trying to keep the pack together, if they weren’t we’d be knee deep in shit.”

Cougar nodded in agreement. “We are trying to keep them from lashing out but it is….difficult,” he whispered and Jensen leaned into him, a low growl rumbling from his chest as the wolf reacted to the sorrow that seemed to have permanently stained their bond.

The room was silent for a long moment before Jensen sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “What are the chances that any of them will listen if I try to talk some sense into them?” he asked.

Roque shrugged. “It’s either you try to talk some sense into them or I’m gonna start breaking bones. I ain’t running a fucking border patrol system,” the man groused and when Cougar snorted Jensen could have kissed Roque, he wouldn’t because Cougar’s level of batshit crazy had been increasing each day but the amusement flowing down the bond was a welcome change from the negative emotions that Jensen had been feeling.

“Right, so next plan of action is trying to talk sense to a group of emotionally compromised wolves….am I the only who thinks this isn’t going to end well?” When no one answered Jensen exhaled slowly. “Yeah, I thought so.”


	5. Chapter 5

The main training room of the Enforcers building had been designed in such a way that it could hold over two hundred wolves easily but when Jensen entered the room it was jam packed, despite the fact that all the equipment had been removed leaving the space almost completely bare. Thankfully someone had realized that the extreme heat that came off most wolves added to the already sour mood wasn’t a good combination and the AC unit was thrumming away, pouring cool air onto the gathering.

The senior Enforcers had strategically managed to spread themselves throughout the room ensuring that if anything did happen they’d be able to jump in quickly. Jensen allowed himself a small amount of pride at the fact that no one had had to instruct them to do it because it meant that they were aware of what might go down if the meeting didn’t go as planned.

Because the room was built to be a training room and not a conference hall Jensen was going to have to use the unoccupied bleachers as an impromptu podium and hope beyond hope that no one decided to be an asshat.

Roque and Pooch were already waiting for him, both of them were seated on the bleacher watching the crowd and while Pooch’s posture was languid, Roque’s pretty much screamed ‘Danger, Will Robinson’ in a way that not even the most novice wolf could misunderstand. Jensen smirked as he lead Cougar up onto the seats because there was a reason why his team was considered the best in the Enforcers and it wasn’t because Jensen was the prettiest wolf of them all or whatever bullshit the new recruits tried to claim.

Turning to face the crowd Jensen exhaled slowly before whistling, the sharp sound piercing the muttering that had been going on. When everyone’s attention turned to him Jensen schooled his face into his ‘Jake’ mask, making sure that his expression was bland but polite before he started speaking.

“I’m not going to stand up here and make some speech because you all know why we’re here and I’m not going to treat you like idiots….” he started, eyes flickering over all of them. “What happened was pretty much the definition of shitty and I get that you all want to go out there and track down whoever did this. I know that some of you have heard that the other packs won’t even try and run their own investigation and I get that that must feel like a kick to the gut…..”

“We don’t need other packs hunting down this cabron, we’d do it ourselves,” a young wolf snarled and Jensen barely resisted the urge to sigh.

“Ok, so you’re going to figure out who did this, right?” he asked, brow hiking when several wolves nodded. “I’ve got a question for you….how?”

“They would have left something behind!” another wolf piped up and Jensen narrowed his eyes when he recognized the young wolf as one of his latest set of recruits.

“Good theory but an explosion like this would have wiped out everything. So you’ve got no scent, no evidence other than a few pieces of shrapnel….what exactly are you going to use to hunt this person down?”

“We would make it work if you let us leave!” another wolf snarled and this time more of the group seemed to agree with the speaker who glared up at Jensen. “Why should we have to listen to you, gringo?” he spat and Cougar tensed, a low warning growl rumbling from his chest but Jensen just shook his head as he focused on the wolf that had spoken.

“I don’t know enough Spanish to know what you just said but Carlos’ reaction says it’s probably something I wouldn’t like and if after all this is said and done you still feel like you’ve got to toss insults around to be a wolf then come see me. We’ll see how mouthy your ass can get when you’re picking your teeth up off the ground.” Jensen responded, his lips curved into a cold smile that made the young wolf flinch even though his tone remained so bland that he could have been talking about the weather. “Now let me break this shit down in a way you can understand. Every person that died in that explosion will be missed regardless of if we knew them or not because you’re all part of our pack and when you hurt, we hurt. So don’t think for a fucking second that every one of us up here wouldn’t want to track these fuckers down and rip their hearts out because we would do. But what you don’t seem to get is that whoever did this shit, they’re working with some serious firepower. Do you think the Spanish packs are just turning a blind eye because they want to? They’re not going after these people because they’re fucking scared,” Jensen snarled, he could feel the wolf’s anger bleeding into his words and he had to concentrate as he tried to control the urge to shift that was trying to push itself to the surface. “An entire pack was wiped out in one night and what the hell do you think is going to happen if you go in there all gung-ho? I know that you’ve lost people you loved but how would the ones you leave behind feel when you get your stupid asses killed because you couldn’t fucking wait?”

“So we should do nothing?” someone asked and Jensen didn’t even bother to try and figure out who had spoken. Instead he shook his head.

“I’m telling you to give us a chance to find out what we’re up against. My team will go there and use our connections to find out who did this because that’s what we’ve been trained for,” Jensen explained spreading his hands wide. “A lot of you probably still think I’m bluffing and I don’t blame you but I made my mate a promise,” Jensen breathed, pausing to glance over at Cougar who was watching him solemnly. “I promised my mate that we’d make these bastards pay,” he whispered before turning his attention to the others. “I said that to him and now I’m extending that promise to all of you. We’ll find out who was behind this and then you’ll get the chance to show these idiots that they fucked with the wrong pack. Now all I ask is, are you with me?”

The words were barely out of Jensen’s mouth when someone in the back started clapping, then someone else started a howl that rose as wolf after wolf added their voice to the call and Jensen shot Cougar a feral grin because whoever had targeted the Santiago pack had just signed their own death warrant.

*O*

Jensen had been riding a wave of positive emotions after the meeting; sadly trying to convince the alphas to let them do an independent investigation didn’t go down as easily.

*O*

“This is foolish. You know nothing of the Spanish packs but you believe that you will obtain their cooperation where we could not?!” Ana demanded and Jensen rubbed at his temple with one hand, trying to stave off the headache he could feel building there.

“I will go with them,” Cougar reminded the woman but Ana just scoffed.

“And we should place our faith in two alphas with little experience or knowledge?”

Cougar bared his teeth at the words and Jensen gripped his hand beneath the table, pressing his thumb to the fragile skin of Cougar’s wrist until the anger that had spiked in their connection simmered….not gone but no longer overwhelming.

“Look, lady, all you’re doing right now is running your mouth because I haven’t seen you out there trying to fix this either,” Jensen snapped, his eyes narrowing when Ana opened her mouth to speak again. “No, I don’t need to hear anything you’ve got to say. Our team was designed to deal with any attack against the pack whether that’s in outright warfare or information gathering and before you start, Cougar’s been training to take over your pack for years so are you gonna try and claim that he can run your pack but he can’t function as part of my team? Because if you are I’m gonna call bullshit.”

The glare that Ana shot his way could have melted titanium but Jensen just held her gaze because compared to his mother the woman was about as scary as a wet kitten.

“I heard about your meeting,” Martina cut in before Ana could start arguing again. “But did you consider the fact that you’ll be walking into just as much danger as you were trying to keep the others out of?”

Jensen nodded as Cougar spoke up. “We are to be the alphas of our pack. If we are weak, the pack will be weak,” he responded solemnly.

“Yeah, there’s no way that we’re just going to sit back and send them somewhere that we wouldn’t go,” Jensen added. “And if we’re going to get the cooperation of any of the packs we’d need to send in either the pack alphas or the alpha heirs and right now the pack needs you guys to stay right where you are so it’s either send us in or do nothing,” he summarised, leaning back in his seat. “And I don’t know about any of you but doing nothing is not an option because I promised my recruits and Carlos that something would get done and soon,” he finished, the unspoken threat clear in his words and Martina narrowed her eyes at him but Jensen just raised his chin meeting his mother’s stare head on.

Maria pursed her lips, her dark eyes flickering from her son to Jensen. “This decision will require thought,” she whispered and Jensen inclined his head because that wasn’t a ‘No’ but it was a clear dismissal.

“Gracias,” Cougar muttered, standing and waiting until Jensen rose before leaving the room.

*O*

Carlos waited until they were out of hearing distance before he spoke. “You did well today,” he told Jensen because it needed to be said. He’d hadn’t been unaware of the trepidation that his mate had felt before both meetings though less so for the last one. Over the time that he’d come to know the man he realized that Jensen only fell back on his Jake persona when he felt unsure of his own abilities but regardless of his feelings he’d still tried to get things moving in the right direction and he deserved praise for that.

Jensen flushed slightly as he took a strange step to the side so that he could glance back at Cougar’s face, his blue eyes unsure. His reaction made Cougar wonder if no one had taken the time to truly acknowledge the things that Jensen did. His padres made sure that he always knew that they were aware and proud of his actions when he did something right but with the way that Jensen tended to stick with his team instead of his parents Cougar could see how he would’ve missed the praises that his parents would’ve given out.

“Thanks….” Jensen muttered, one hand rubbing the back of his nape. “I mean it wasn’t perfect and my parents are way better at the whole rousing speech thing but I’m glad it worked.”

Cougar nodded in understanding. “I believe they will say yes,” he stated because Jensen hadn’t really given them a choice it was either send their team or do nothing, like Jensen had said and there was no way that either of their parents would choose that option.

“They’d better,” Jensen groused. “If we’re gonna get this thing done we need to do it quickly or there won’t be a damn thing to find when we get there and there’s no way that I’m about to let this bastard just slip through our fingers.”

Cougar didn’t respond to his mate’s words, instead he let Jensen’s anger resonate through their bond like another promise. He knew that Jensen wouldn’t rest until they’d avenged his family and neither would he, it was just a matter of time before they caught the person responsible and when they did…..Cougar’s thoughts trailed off as his wolf started a low rumble in the back of his head.

*O*

Max watched as the test subject writhed on the floor of his cell. Dried blood caked the man’s lips, the only evidence of the hacking coughs that had started after they’d introduced the serum into his system. This time the coughs had come before the screams and while that didn’t tell Max much, the deviation was one to be noted.

The man’s fingers were caught in a half-way state, long, vicious claws tipping several of his fingers while the others had shrunk to the stubs that usually heralded the arrival of the paws they sported in their pure wolf form.

As usual, the transformation had been painful as the wolf was forced to the surface but the subject still wasn’t achieving the full alpha form that Max wanted. The man’s mouth opened in one last soundless scream before he dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut and Max watched as fur began emerging across his face. Between one breath and the next the man shifted from human to wolf, finding his feet the minute the transformation was finished.

Max wrinkled his nose as the wolf bared its teeth at nothing at all before flinging itself against the door. In the epic battle of door versus wolf, the door won and the wolf yelped as it rebounded before planting it paws and snarling again.

Max cut the feed when the wolf charged the door a second time. He’d dealt with enough ferals to know that the wolf would just keep going until it was too injured to move which meant that the newest batch of his serum had been a failure….again.

Growling beneath his breath Max deleted the folder that he’d created for the batch. This wasn’t a major setback after all it had induced the feral state in under twenty minutes which meant that Max would be able to produce more of the wolves for his contacts but that wasn’t his true end game and with every failure Max’s patience grew thinner.

Pursing his lips Max stared at the, now blank, computer screen. Perhaps he was going about this the wrong way. He’d been trying to create an alpha based on synthetic copycat version of the gene that seemed to produce their abilities but so far all he’d managed to mimic was berserker rage that they all seemed to possess. Maybe the research he’d done had only identified a singular part of the alphas’ differences….if that was the case he would need to go back to the drawing board, so to speak, which meant he would need a new alpha to study.

That was going to be trickier. Packs treated alphas like gold because they knew damn well that they’d fall apart without them. Betas were capable of living on their own but the pack bonds that kept them together was anchored on the presence of an alpha….the more alphas present, the stronger the pack.

Max stroked his chin as he thought. He was going to have to do some digging to see which pack would be easiest to infiltrate but at least this was something new he could work with and in the meantime he had a group of ferals to sell.

*O*

When Jodi told them that the council had reached a decision Jensen decided not to push his luck, throwing away the imaginary key for his mouth the moment they stepped back through the doors. The group of alphas waited until he and Carlos were seated before his mother started to speak.

“We’ve given your proposition some thought and decided that the course of action you’ve suggested is the best one, at present,” she informed them and Jensen kept his face blank despite the fact that he was mentally fist-pumping his victory.

“The Spanish packs are willing to help you avoid outside detection…but that is all the assistance they will provide,” Maria added and Jensen could hear the displeasure in her voice but some help was better than none at all especially considering the fact that the wolves he was going to be relying on for help were loners.

“I’ll be heading out ahead of you to make sure that things are in place but after you get there I’m just going to be your liaison so all the real detective work is on you,” Michael told them and Jensen allowed himself a small smile as he met his uncle’s eyes. The man always had his back even when Jensen had been too young to realize it.

“How long will we have?” Cougar asked.

“Two weeks at most…after that we will step in,” Jose responded and Jensen nodded because two weeks was plenty of time.

*O*

Two weeks wasn’t plenty of time and Jensen realized that while trying to mentally subjugate his computer but sadly either his mental powers weren’t up to scratch or his computer was as insubordinate as his team because no new information suddenly made itself known.

“I really think that people need to start showing the truth on TV,” Jensen muttered as he dove back into the code of his latest batch of reports that the group of Spanish loners who he’d been in contact with had sent him. “It’s freaking false advertising when they only show you the cool bits of the mission but nobody shows the guy who has to arrange everything before said mission can get under way.”

Cougar snorted, shaking his head as he pulled up the group email that Jensen had set up and the blond scowled when he realized that his uncle had already arranged everything from where they’d be staying to the plane that they’d be flying on.

“You know, this would’ve helped two hours ago when I was actively trying to sort this out.”

“You were busy….with your numbers,” Cougar pointed out and Jensen opened his mouth to respond before snapping it shut because he honestly couldn’t remember trying to do anything but break the new codes that his loner-circle had sent him.

Turning he eyed his mate suspiciously but Cougar’s expression was blank as usual despite the faint thread of amusement thrumming along their connection. Exhaling slowly Jensen pushed the laptop away from him, rubbing at his eyes as a wave of tiredness, that wasn’t entirely his own, hit him.

Shaking his head he straightened in his seat. “Ok, seeing as Uncle Michael is actually clairvoyant I’m thinking we should probably get some sleep ahead of tomorrow,” he suggested, glancing at Cougar. His eyes flickered over the man’s face taking in the tired lines and he guessed that his own face probably didn’t look much better. Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d shaved….if he kept this up he’d have less of a goatee and more of a wild man beard and he really couldn’t rock that look, he’d tried once and the results had been terrifying.

Cougar nodded, stretching as he rose from his seat with a yawn. “The others?” he asked and Jensen bent so that he could check the computer screen to make sure that Roque and Pooch had gotten the email.

“They’ve got the information they need,” Jensen confirmed as he shut down the system and led Cougar from his office, shutting the door behind them before turning to face Carlos. “Look, I know this isn’t going to be a walk in the park but if at any point you feel like you need to take a timeout tell me. And that might sound a bit like I’m babying you but trust me I’m not, I’d much rather you hang out with Pooch than rip someone’s face off with your teeth and don’t give me that look, Cougs I might not have known you all that long but you’ve kind of taken up residence in my head,” Jensen babbled. Cougar’s eyes narrowed even more and Jensen held up his hands in supplication. “Dude you know you’re the special kind of crazy that makes the rest of us look normal but don’t worry about it, the hotness hides it….not well but just enough to draw people in, kind of like a black widow spider.”

“And this is a good thing?” Cougar guessed though the look on his face was clearly sceptical and Jensen snorted.

“Damn right, it’s a good thing. Look at this way you’ll pretty much complete any infiltration assignment that you get just based on the fact that you’re drop dead gorgeous, which leaves loads of time to build up your energy for the epic ass-kicking that you’ll probably be dishing out,” he explained, grinning when Cougar’s lips shifted into a crooked smile. “Plus even if you didn’t need those skills I still get to rub your hotness in the face of any wolf we come across.”

“That explanation I believe,” Cougar shot back, passing Jensen with a sway of his hips that definitely hadn’t been there before. Jensen allowed himself a moment to savour the perfection that was Carlos’ ass in linen trousers before hurrying after his mate. After all they did need to pack.

*O*

Michael crossed his arms as he stared down Emanuel, the alpha of the Luna pack. He wasn’t sure if the name made the man think he was better than any other wolf or if he was just one of the biggest assholes Michael had ever run across, but whatever the case the man was quickly becoming an obstacle.

Exhaling slowly, Michael raised his chin so that he was staring down his nose at the alpha. The man’s beady eyes kept shifting from his like he was afraid to keep Michael’s gaze and he could all but smell the deceit rolling off Emanuel in waves but he held back the words that wanted to rip their way out of him. Patience was something that Mark had always tried to drill into him and apparently some of those lessons had stuck.

“Let me see if I understand you correctly, Alpha Luna,” Michael started, eyes narrowing until they were mere blue slits as he glared down at the man. “Not only are you unwilling to provide the team, that my pack is supplying, with the necessary provision to keep this mission covert but you’re also claiming that your pack of over two hundred has no wolves to spare, is that right?”

Emanuel swallowed, his eyes darting around the room but none of the other Spanish alphas seemed willing to meet his gaze. Finally the man straightened and focused on Michael.

“You are American, you do not understand the threat that we are living under.” He spat.

Michael inclined his head in agreement while keeping his expression neutral. “You’re right. I’m not from here. I don’t know who’s behind what happened to the Santiago pack and I don’t know what they have over all of you. But what I do know is that my pack is willing to send its heirs here to help you and right now you’re stonewalling us,” he responded calmly, spreading his hands wide as he spoke. The wolf was an ever present hum at the back of his head, it had been restless since he stepped foot into the country but Michael pushed its discomfort to the peripherals of his mind because he needed all his concentration if he was going to convince the alphas to help. “You might think that you’re protecting your pack but what happens when this person targets you next? Are you just going to stand back and allow them to wipe all of you out when we’re more than willing to help?”

The silence that followed his words almost felt heavy but Michael knew that saying anything else would be too much. For now it was up to the alphas to decide what they would do.

“The American speaks the truth,” one of the female alphas spoke up and Michael turned to face her, raising a brow when he realized that it was Carmen Santana, the alpha of the Santana pack that rested just on the edge of the Santiago pack grounds. From what he’d heard there had been some bad blood between the packs and the woman was one of those who had turned down the Alvarez pack’s petition for land. It was a surprise to have her agreeing now but Michael wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “These threats have made us weak. The wolves under our command, they understand our actions but they do not respect them and pack bonds built on doubt and distrust will not last,” she continued as she glanced at the others. “How long will it be until our packs crumble because we lacked the courage to act?”

Michael nodded in agreement as he refocused his attention on Emanuel. “The team will be careful, there’ll be no links to any of your packs because we aren’t willing to risk retaliation from this person and the moment that we have a name or a location our specialized team along with several teams from the other packs that have volunteered will move out and remove the threat.”

“And if who you’re hunting finds you first?” Emanuel asked.

Michael’s bow rose as a cold smile stretched across his face at the thought of anyone running into Jake while he was hunting. Shaking his head he turned to Emanuel with a gentler smile though from the way that the alpha was eying him the expression probably wasn’t as gentle as he was aiming for. “Carlos was taught by Maria and Jose Alvarez and if he is anything like his parents you won’t have anything to worry about,” he placated. “As for Jacob, there are times when I believe that my nephew is more wolf than man and God be with anyone who tries to target him or any of his team while they’re out here. If that happens, your biggest worry would probably be to identify what they leave behind because the chance of the person surviving is slim on a good day.”

Carmen tilted her head and regarded Michael curiously. “You have that much faith in these men?”

“Those men are the ones that will one day lead our pack, so yes I have that much faith in all of them because I know that any one of them would give their lives to protect the pack. The only question left is whether you have faith in my words?” he inquired.

After a tense moment Carmen nodded. “I believe it is time that we moved beyond our fear and this alliance will be my first step.”

Michael grinned as the other alphas in the room agreed with her until only Emanuel was silent.

The man swallowed and stared at the ground for a long moment before glancing up to meet Michael’s eyes. “I am not willing to be afraid anymore,” he muttered and Michael inclined his head in thanks.

Now that he had the permission of the packs the rest was up to Jake and his team.


	6. Chapter 6

Jensen stepped onto the tarmac, eyes scanning the empty space from behind the dark cover of his glasses as the sound of the plane’s engine died. A moment later Cougar, Pooch and Roque joined him, their shadows stretching across the ground as the sun set behind them.

“So who’s up for some weasel hunting?” Jensen joked as Cougar adjusted the hat that he’d procured from his things back at the compound.

“Stop asking stupid questions and find where we’re supposed to be bedding down,” Roque muttered and Jensen tried to keep the smirk of his face as he took in the man’s nauseated expression.

“I hear a measure of displeasure in your voice, Roque-bear. Could it possibly be because you’re a scaredy cat who’s afraid of flying?” Jensen teased, ignoring Roque’ s growl as he led them towards the SUV that his uncle had arranged for them. Wiping the smile from his face Jensen accepted the vehicle’s keys from the human valet that was waiting for them, tipping the man before sending him on his way. Jensen waited until the others were settled in the van then gunned the engine, peeling out of the airport.

“Ok, fun and jokes aside, we’re gonna need to be the kings of stealth while we find out what’s going on down here. That means avoiding all wolves except the ones in my network, so no shifting out if you can avoid it,” Jensen told them as he navigated the busy streets.

“Are the packs still not gonna help?” Pooch asked, tapping his fingers against the back of Jensen’s seat and the blond knew that the habit wouldn’t stop until Pooch was the one behind the wheel.

“They’ll try and cover our tracks but nothing else,” Jensen responded, glancing over at Cougar who was staring out the window with a dark scowl on his face. The tangle of emotions coursing down their bond made it hard for Jensen to figure out what Cougar was feeling but Jensen knew that bringing up the fact that the other packs were too cowardly to help wasn’t exactly helping matters.

“So they’re covering their own asses,” Roque murmured and Jensen nodded because there was no use denying the truth.

“They are, though from what Uncle Michael said, they’re not just doing it to be spiteful. Whoever did this to the Santiago pack has them running scared and it takes a helluva lot to scare our kind.”

“We will find them,” Cougar growled and Jensen bit his lip as he glanced out the window. They would find the person behind what happened but the more information he got the more he was starting to think that the destruction of the pack had just been a warning or a distraction to take their minds offthe missing wolves. The thought wasn’t one that he liked because it either meant that they were up against some nut job or that the missing wolves were a part of something bigger than they had imagined.

Cougar must have picked up on his worry because his mate shot him a sharp look but Jensen just shook his head waving off the man’s concern. Cougar already had enough on his plate and Jensen wasn’t going to add to it by voicing his half-developed hypothesis….they’d just have to wait and see what the investigation turned up and hope for the best because hope was all they had at this point.

*O*

The incessant sound of dripping water pulled Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Clay from an uneasy sleep and he opened his eyes slowly, categorizing the various aches and pains that were his constant reminders of his captor’s hospitality. Turning his head to the side he caught sight of the huddled form of a large dark wolf at the edge of his bed and he reached out, ignoring the fire that roared along his wrist as he uncurled his fingers. As softly as he could he threaded his fingers through the fur at the wolf’s ruff, combing through the hair until the wolf opened its eyes and piercing blue orbs fixed on his face.

“How you doin’, Capt’n?” he slurred as the wolf tried to push himself to his feet but a pained yelp had him collapsing back onto the bed and Clay sighed as he stroked the wolf’s ears.

Their team had been investigating several reports of missing wolves that had come in through several of their informants. The information had led them to an abandoned warehouse….or at least it had seemed abandoned until they were greeted by a barrage of gunfire. The only reason why Clay had survived was because his 2IC, Captain Trevor Watson, had shielded him with his own body. The fact that the soldier was a wolf meant he could heal things that could kill an ordinary human. What they hadn’t counted on was being captured and dragged to whatever hellhole they were in now.

Trevor’s body had shifted into its wolf form to heal which meant that Clay was the one that the men focused on for answers and when Clay hadn’t given them they’d been…displeased.

Clay was pretty damn sure that their displeasure had left him with several broken ribs and fingers. His ankle had been the result of having his Captain fling himself at him while he’d been trying to keep Clay from turning into a human strainer.

It wasn’t until the fourth night that Clay realized the bullets Trevor had saved him from were silver. Thankfully silver wasn’t as lethal for wolves as many books and movies claimed but it did slow their healing to a crawl. At the rate they were going Clay figured they had a few days at most before their captors grew tired of his lack of cooperation and decided to just get rid of them.

Trevor must have sensed his mood because the wolf whined, blue eyes staring at him accusingly and Clay sighed.

“You know this is the longest you’ve ever been quiet, Captain.” Clay muttered. “The others wouldn’t have believed it if I told them.”

Trevor snorted, turning his head away and it wasn’t until the wolf’s breathing slowed in sleep that Clay realized that he’d spoken of his team like they were still alive.

Shaking his head Clay stared up at the dirty ceiling. Maybe they wouldn’t even make it a few more days like he’d guessed.

*O*

The hotel that Jensen’s team was staying in was located in a rundown town at the edge of the Santiago pack’s borders. The place was devoid of any wolves and Jensen could guess why. Despite the distance between the town and the compound he could still smell the faint scent of ash and smoke, beneath it all there was something else that he couldn’t quite identify but that a part of his mind thought was the scent of death. It made him wrinkle his nose and he wasn’t surprised to see that Cougar and Roque had pulled their scarves up so that their nostrils were covered. It wasn’t enough to completely block out the scent but it would help. Pooch’s dark eyes were hooded and the expression on his face said he was just as bothered about the scent though he was better at controlling his reaction to it.

Thankfully the artificial smell of perfumes inside the building masked the depressing scents and Jensen inhaled audibly trying to focus on the man-made fragrance instead of the olfactory reminder of the destruction that had occurred mere days ago.

The receptionist at the desk smiled widely as they approached her and Jensen stepped back as Cougar spoke to her in rapid fire Spanish.

The other tourists in the hotel glanced at them but no one stuck out. A few minutes later Cougar returned with three keys and the group split up with orders to meet in the room that Jensen and Cougar were sharing in an hour.

Following Cougar to the room Jensen let his mind wander to the first informant he had to meet. Julio Santana was a chatty loner that had left his pack behind at the age of fifteen and since then the man had made his living in the towns that he wound up in, existing on the fringes of the already established packs without being roped into any. Jensen’s exchanges with Julio mostly took place through emails and Skype calls when the man was near an internet hotspot.

Julio had been in town when the explosion happened and while he hadn’t been in direct contact he claimed to have seen an unfamiliar wolf in town a few nights before the incident. The good thing about loners was that they took note of each other….it was mostly an instinctive thing because some loners were about as friendly as a pack of rabid dogs though sometimes they were just curious Joe had been.  Jensen hoped the Julio’s curiosity wouldn’t led to his death like he knew Joe’s had.

    *O*

Carlos pushed the door to the hotel room open, waiting until Jensen entered before shutting it behind them. His mate didn’t even react to the low creak of the hinges or the slam that echoed through the room. The blond was so lost in his thoughts that he was practically functioning on autopilot and the low hum that rolled across the bond was fraught with worry. Cougar was well aware of the fact that part of that worry was because of him. He hadn’t reacted well to the scent that served as a reminder of what he’d lost and though he’d managed to keep the emotions from leaking into his physical expression he knew that he hadn’t been able to keep them out of the bond and Jensen was too observant to have missed it.

Cougar waited until Jensen dropped his duffle onto the bed before stepping into the blond’s personal space. He couldn’t fix what he was feeling any more than he could fix the thing that was worrying Jensen without knowing what it was. What he could do was reassure them both and make sure that they were grounded enough to function because they’d need all their senses if they were going to figure out who was behind the destruction of his uncle’s pack.

Jensen held still as Cougar curled his fingers around his wrists, blue eyes focusing on Cougar’s face and the Spaniard allowed the slow soft smile that he’d come to think of as Jensen’s to emerge across his face.

“Not that this isn’t nice and all because having you this close to me will still be nice when I get to the age where getting it up is actually impossible but what’s with the cuddle fest?” Jensen asked while Cougar’s fingers traced his inner wrists before following the veins on Jensen’s forearm.

“You are worried,” Cougar pointed out, cocking a brow when Jensen scoffed.

Jensen shook his head when Cougar’s hands dropped from his arms to his hips. “Just a teeny bit worried because I don’t think that whoever did this is the type to sit down and negotiate over a cup of tea and crumpets…..” Cougar’s brow hiked even higher and Jensen snorted, leaning forward until his head was resting against Cougar’s shoulder. “Look, I’m not freaking out because I think we can’t do this. I know we can. I’m freaking out because I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve just stepped onto a spider web and that the spider is the size of Godzilla…..” Jensen muttered and Cougar held still as the blond inhaled.

“We are taught to trust our intuition,” Cougar pointed out and Jensen hummed.

“I know that but right now I’m really hoping that my intuition is going through a paranoid phase because if not…..I really can’t see this person backing down without a fight and if we get too close I don’t think they’ll be targeting us alone.”

“You think they will go after the pack?” Cougar guessed, his expression twisting into a frown that Jensen was unable to see but when the blond nodded the frown turned into a scowl. “Our pack is strong; they will not be taken by surprise.”

Jensen sighed. “I’m hoping it won’t come to that but if it does, there’s no way we’ll go down without a fight,” he whispered though the sense of worry spiked in their bond and Cougar curled his arms around the blond’s shoulders, holding him close as the sound of a street band filtered into their room.

Cougar believed every word that he had told Jensen but he couldn’t shake the memory of exactly how this person had targeted his uncle’s pack. If they did that again there would be little for their pack to fight against and the thought of losing anymore of his family like that made the wolf whine as it curled in on itself.

*O*

Julio Santana was, for the most part, a rather ordinary person….if one ignored his rather uncontrollable temper. He stood 5’6 with curly dark hair that resisted all attempts to keep them out of his face. The only thing memorable about him was the cool grey eyes that he’d inherited from his mother’s family but other than that he could pass for any regular person on the street, if it wasn’t for the animal that lived beneath his skin. At the tender age of twenty six he was the only boy in a family of seven girls all of whom took the word bitch to a whole new level and more than once the scraps between him and his siblings had ended in bloodshed. After fifteen years of fighting in a family where his parents usually forgot that they had children Julio had left them behind. His father claimed that he had an alpha’s temperament without the genetics or build to back it up but while the man had meant it as an insult Julio hadn’t taken it that way. Alphas had responsibilities that made Atlas look like a carefree hippy and if he had identified as an alpha as a child there was no way he would have been allowed to leave his old pack behind.

As it was, Julio quite enjoyed having the option of travelling, dipping in and out of the human communities while staying away from his wolf brethren. He’d spent the last ten years in America, where it was easy for a wolf to go unnoticed and he’d only returned to Spain a year ago.

It wasn’t like he didn’t actually like other wolves….he did and he interacted well enough with the other loners he met on his travels. He’d even started correspondence with a rather interesting alpha who thankfully didn’t subscribe to the whole macho culture that Julio’s parents had.

Just the thought of his parents made Julio wrinkle his nose as he glanced around the small café shop. He’d been ashamed to learn of how the packs had reacted to the tragedy that had befallen the Santiago pack though he hadn’t been all that surprised when he learned that his mother hadn’t even tried to help investigate. It was no secret that his mother had wanted to mate with Antonio Santiago but he’d broken her heart when he took another mate and she’d lashed out, running interference everywhere she could to make sure that the man didn’t forget her. It was sad and Julio had often wondered why the hell his father had stayed with her when she obviously didn’t love him.

Biting his lips in consternation he pushed the thought aside as his eyes flickered back to the doorway. He’d agreed to meet with Jacob Jensen and his team to help the alpha hunt down who had targeted the Santiago’s and while he didn’t have much to tell the alpha and his team Julio was more than willing to try and help….unlike his old pack.

The bell that hung over the café door chimed and Julio glanced up just in time to see Jensen walk into the shop. His wolf shifted uneasily beneath his skin as another alpha followed the tall blond into the shop. Julio might have separated from his pack but he wasn’t uninformed and he’d recognize the Alvarez alpha heir, anywhere. The two alphas were followed by two other wolves, one of whom looked almost Zen while the other seemed willing and able to rip someone’s throat out at the drop of a hat.

Julio’s shoulders tensed as the familiar discomfort that came whenever he was around other wolves surged to the surface.

Jensen must have noticed his discomfort because he paused before gesturing for his team to go and order.

The closer that Jensen came, the stronger Julio’s urge to bolt grew but when the blond just smiled at him as he dropped into the empty seat across from Julio, he forced himself to exhale. Thankfully Jensen seemed well aware of how much effort it took for Julio to be around him, which wasn’t shocking seeing as Julio had been using the blond as his personal therapist for some time now.

When most of the tension had bled out of Julio’s frame Jensen grinned, careful not to show too many teeth.

“Freak out over?” he asked jovially and Julio snorted waving the blond off.

“You should be happy that it was one freak out,” Julio groused before returning Jensen’s grin. “So how is the mating and don’t think you’re going to get away with not telling me about it.”

Jensen’s slow smile made Julio laugh aloud as the blond flushed.

“It’s good…he’s, well he’s pretty freaking awesome like WOW awesome and we were totally getting into the honeymoon phase when all this happened,” he sighed.

Julio nodded in understanding. “We will wait until your team is finished then I will tell you all I know.”

*O*

Clay twisted his head to the side, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the dirty floor as pain radiated across his face. His newest caretaker wasn’t big on talking apparently and he’d taken most of Clay’s taunts personally. Clay was just thankful that Trevor had been too out of it to put up much of a fight when the men had dragged Clay out of the cell. Clay wasn’t stupid and he knew that wolf or not Trevor’s body couldn’t take much more abuse and as selfish as it was Clay didn’t want to be the last of his team left in this hellhole.

Refocusing on the man in front of him Clay bared his teeth in a bloody parody of a smile. “That all you got?”

The man took a step forward but as the door to the room opened he froze, taking a step away from Clay as a stranger in a suit stepped into the room. The man was slick in a way that screamed politician but the cruel smile on his face was too feral to be human and Clay bit back the taunt that had been on the tip of his tongue as the stranger walked towards him.

“Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Clay, I would say that it was a pleasure to meet you but frankly I’d be lying,” the man drawled.

Clay’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the man. “You have me at a disadvantage, you seem to know me but I haven’t a clue who you are.”

The stranger hummed beneath his breath as he gestured for the other man to leave the room. When the door shut leaving only the two of them inside the small space, the suit gracefully dropped into the seat that Clay’s previous ‘handler’ had ignored.  “For now you can call me Max and I’ll call you Clay….that is how your men refer to you isn’t it? Or should I say man, seeing as you’ve managed to lose most of your team and the one you have left isn’t really a man is he?” the stranger…..Max taunted.

Clay gritted his teeth against the response that he wanted to volley at the man because so far it looked like this Max was the one in charge. Clay had learned a lot about bad men both from the army and from his previous life and one of the universal truths that existed in the world of low morality was that the more composed the person the less of said morals they possessed. As far as Clay was concerned, all this guy needed to be the devil was horns and a tail.

When Clay didn’t respond Max pursed his lips in displeasure. “Nothing to say? I mean after all you did put a lot of effort into finding my facility and I’m sure you’ve got questions….well here I am and if your questions are sensible ones I just might answer them.”

“Questions like what the hell you did with all those men?” Clay growled but Max just snorted, waving him off as he crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat.

“It seems you’ve been misinformed, you see those weren’t men. They were wolves and as such their well being has little to do with you.”

“The United States of America doesn’t discriminate between its human and wolf citizens,” Clay spat. “And an attack against any citizen is an attack against our country.”

Max stared at him for a long moment before clapping, the sound rising in tempo as a slow smile spread across his face. “Oh, Bravo, Colonel, while you’re at it would you like to tell me why you aren’t tracking down every drug dealer, gang member and petty thief on the streets? Because after all they’re attacking US citizens, so are all of them terrorists as well or is that just a title exclusively given to people who drain your valuable less-than-human resources?”

“You call them less than human but I’m not feeling a very human vibe coming from you either,” Clay pointed out.

Max shot him a sharp grin. “Good guess, Colonel and yes, you’re right. I’m not human, so you see this matter is between us wolves and there’s no need for you to be sticking your human nose into it. Wouldn’t it be much better if you just walked away now before you lost someone else?”

Clay glared at him because there was no way that this man was going to let them walk out of here alive, not after all they’d learned.Which in truth wasn’t much other than the fact that the disappearances of the wolves that they’d been investigating had been orchestrated by one of their own.

Max cocked his head, regarding Clay for a long moment and the hair on Clay’s neck rose as the man’s gaze roamed over his battered body. “You don’t seem convinced….you’re smart,” the man laughed as he rose to his feet. “You see I would let you go but after the unfortunate loss of your team I doubt you’d just go quietly….then there is the matter of that little wolf that seems determined to follow you to his death…..”

“Leave him out of this!” Clay snarled but Max just shook his head as if Clay was the insane one.

“The decision of whether or not Captain Watson leaves this place alive is completely in your hands,” Max responded evenly. “You see, I happen to be running out of test subjects and while he isn’t in perfect condition, an injured wolf is better than no wolf.”

Clay frowned at that little titbit of information before pasting on the neutral expression he used when he was dealing with the higher ups. He’d bluff his way out of this if he had to but there was no way he was just going to sit by and let this nutjob pull Trevor into whatever screwed up operation he was running. Letting his face droop into a resigned expression Clay focused on the man again.

“What do you want me to do?”

Max grinned. “I knew you would see things my way.”


	7. Chapter 7

Cougar eyed the loner as he took a seat beside Jensen. The wolf was watching them in a way that said that he’d bolt at the slightest wrong move and Cougar understood how important the man was so he forced his face into something a bit more welcoming as Roque and Pooch took their seats.

Jensen jumped in before the silence could become awkward and Cougar shifted his attention to his mate.

“Guys this is Julio, one of the coolest wolves to have ever have discovered the internet, because seriously the way most wolves act you’d think that computers were made from silver,” Jensen muttered to himself before shaking his head and turning to the loner. “Julio, this is my mate Carlos Alvarez…..”

“Cougar,” Cougar corrected and Jensen nodded at the confused expression on Julio’s face.

“Yeah, he’s the one with the cool nickname…well that’s if you don’t count Pooch, whose actual name isn’t all that bad but he thinks it is so we just call him…..”

“Pooch?” Julio guessed with a bemused smirk that said this wasn’t the first time he’d experienced Jensen’s unique speech pattern.

Jensen just grinned. “Yeah and this guy is William Roque but we call him Roque.”

Julio offered them a tiny wave and while the others offered the man their own greetings, Cougar inclined his head.

Jensen rubbed his hands together. “Right, since everyone’s all introduced Julio can explain what he saw and what’s been going on since then.”

Julio straightened at that, though he kept his eyes focused on Jensen. “Like I said, I truly didn’t think there was anything strange about the loner at first and if the explosion hadn’t happened I would probably have forgotten him….”

“The Pooch is hearing a pretty big ‘but’ coming up,” Pooch muttered in sotto voce.

Julio shrugged. “His name was Anthony Samuels, he sounded American but that is little evidence of where he was from because I sound American if one doesn’t listen hard enough. The real issue with Anthony was how he behaved,” Julio explained, spreading his hands wide as he spoke. “Loners as a whole sometimes keep contact with their old packs because family is important even to us but he spoke of this person called Max like the man was his alpha.”

“You think he might have belonged to a pack?” Jensen guessed and Carlos frowned because if another pack was involved with what had happened he had no doubt that it’d mean all-out war.

“Not really,” Julio admitted. “While he spoke of this Max as his alpha, I do not believe the wolf was actually an alpha, if you understand?”

Jensen frowned, his confusion written clearly across his face. “Loners don’t take orders from one another,” he pointed out and Julio nodded in agreement.

“We also do not try to recruit other loners….which was what young Anthony seemed to be doing. He did not say it in as many words but he kept mentioning the fact that this Max had a lucrative deal going on…..”

“Did he say what the deal was about?” Jensen inquired.

Julio shook his head. “He claimed that he could not explain it appropriately, that Max would make everything clear. All we had to do was meet him but you know me, I did not leave one form of tyranny only to go crawling into another and Anthony’s Max did not sound like a very gentle man.”

“Que?” Cougar cut in and for the first time that evening Julio met his eyes fully, taking note of the cold grey orbs before the loner glanced away.

“A few days before the explosion, Anthony was distraught. He said that he’d made a mistake and that he was in trouble. He claimed that he’d have to prove himself to Max before he could get back into the man’s good graces. That’s when he started making a few of the others suspicious. Before he’d only suggested that we should meet Max but after whatever happened it was almost like he was trying to pressure us into accepting his deal. Some of the younger loners got so spooked that they moved on while the others just started to avoid him and then it happened,” Julio exhaled heavily as he glanced out the shop window. “After that there was no sign of Anthony. I went back to one of his hangouts when everyone was trying to figure out what had happened and how many of us were gone but no one had seen him. I even tracked his scent from the hotel where he’d been staying but it led me straight to the Santiago pack grounds and there was no returning scent trail.”

“So this kid went in but didn’t come back out,” Roque summarised and Julio nodded.

“Anthony had no reason to be on those grounds in the first place. He didn’t know anyone from the pack, as far as we knew, and it’s just too big of a coincidence that the very night he chose to go there was the night that someone decided to blow the place up,” snorting Julio shook his head. “I really hope he’s still alive but my gut’s telling me that he’s dead.”

Cougar allowed the information to soak in as the others fell silent. Julio was still staring out the window but the slow curling of his fingers said how tense the man was. Cougar’s wolf had started up a low snarling growl as Julio’s story went on and it was taking a lot of his control to keep the sound internal but there was no way that he was going to risk scaring off Julio because at the moment the man was the only source of new information that they had.

Jensen exhaled slowly, clasping his hands together as he stared at the table before shifting his attention back to Julio. “I’m gonna need you to take us to the place where this guy was staying. Maybe he left something behind and if not maybe someone will have remembered something by now.”

Julio cocked his head, regarding Jensen solemnly. “That I can do.”

*O*

Clay had met some insane people in his time but the wolf in front of him had just jumped to the front of the crazy line. Not even the fact that he was practically a walking bruise could distract his mind from the madness that was spewing from the man’s mouth.

“You want me to what?” he spat and Max sighed like Clay was the stupid one.

“It’s quite simple, all you need to do is convince your higher-ups that you were attacked by a pack of the very same wolves that you were trying to hunt down. I will provide the mangle bodies of your teammates to support your story and when they have stopped investigating me you will be free to move on with your pathetic little life,” Max explained.

“What, while you keep kidnapping wolves?” Clay demanded but once again Max waved him off like his words were nothing but annoying flies.

“And yet again we are back to this species divide. Do you understand how it feels to know that despite what you do the person beside you will always be better than you simply because of the genes that they were born with, Colonel?” Max asked, not waiting for Clay’s response before he continued. “Unlike in your human world, our kind encourages aggression and raw power, they believe that these are the traits that will ensure our survival and children that are born with these characteristics are given priority over others…..”

“You’re talking about alphas.” Clay summarised and Max grinned.

“Well, well, isn’t someone a smart bird?” he drawled as his eyes flickered over Clay’s battered form. “Tell me do you have any idea why none of the wolves that served with you were ever alphas? Or did they sell you that spiel about the pack depending on them for stability?”

Clay’s eyes narrowed, the man’s interest in alphas made him even more determined to keep Trevor’s status from him. It was a damn good thing that the army provided them with the scent neutralizers that lasted several weeks. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do but I’ve served with more than one alpha and I’ve seen them at their worst….” Max’s eyes widened at that and something clicked in Clay’s head. A cold smile pulled at his lips and Clay grinned despite the trickle of liquid across his chin that said he’d reopened the cut that his last caretaker had left behind. “But you didn’t know that did you? You thought that we weren’t aware of what the alphas were truly capable of. Let me guess all these missing wolves have something to do with that, don’t they?” Clay taunted

Max growled, lips pulling up into a snarl that revealed his elongated canines for a split second before he schooled his expression into something more human. Shaking his head, he tssked as he stood. “I must say that I’m quite disappointed in you, Colonel. One would think that after leading your men into a trap that you’d at least try harder to keep the last member of your team alive.” Straightening his suit he glanced back at Clay. “Hopefully the next time we speak you will be more cooperative.”

*O*

Michael hadn’t been joking when he said he was in the country mainly to act as a liaison between the team and the Spanish packs but that didn’t mean he could do some digging of his own….he’d just taken a different route.

Unlike other packs his father hadn’t demanded that his sons stay on pack grounds while they were growing up, despite the fact that they were the first pair of alpha twins born in years. Instead they’d enlisted after their formal training was finished and they’d only returned to the pack when their father’s health began to fail. Because of their time served both of them still had connections though Michael kept up with his contacts much more than Mark did.

So far there was little information coming from the military front except for a single ‘unofficial’ mission that had been targeting the missing wolf problem. A single Spec Ops team had been sent in but because of the circumstances surrounding the mission, no official documentation or timetable for check-ins had been set up. Michael’s contact had told him that the team had been off the radar for a week now and the higher-ups were getting a bit worried but since nothing had been heard yet they were still operating under the assumption that everything was going forward as normal. It wasn’t unheard of for teams to go underground if they thought they’d been made or because of damaged equipment. The fact that the team consisted of two wolves plus a well-trained Colonel meant that the army was putting more faith than usual in the team’s success.

Michael had examined the team’s profile and he could see why people were willing to bet on success over failure where this group was concerned but he still couldn’t shake the thought that something wasn’t completely right which was why he was following the trail that the group had left behind.

All his contact had been able to give him was the first place of contact for the group, after that the information had stopped coming in but a starting point was all Michael needed.

Ducking under another branch Michael paused as he surveyed the lush expanse of trees that spread out before him. Overhead the birds had grown silent, probably sensing his presence. His father used to claim that the saying about a wolf in sheep’s clothing was stupid as hell because any animal worth its salt could smell them despite their human skin. Snorting at the thought Michael paused when he caught sight of the only clearing he could find.

The scents here weren’t as strong as he would have like but they were distinct enough for him to track in wolf form. Glancing around he grinned when he spotted a small knothole in the tree behind him. The closer he got the more certain he was that any animal that had once called the place home was long gone now.

Removing his clothes Michael folded them and stuffed them into the knothole, rubbing his hand against the bark of the tree to scent mark the place.

Stepping back he nodded to himself then exhaled slowly as he pulled his wolf to the fore. Hair sprouted across his skin as his arms began to shorten. The cracking of his spine made him grimace, the expression of pain melting as his jaw elongated making way for the razor sharp teeth sprouting from his gums. Michael dropped to the ground, paws replacing hands and feet while the fur that now covered his body lightened to the dirty gold colour that he and Mark had inherited from their father. Shaking his head Michael snorted as his ears twitched forwards, capturing the sounds around him.

The entire transformation had taken just a few seconds though Michael knew that he was capable of faster but the wolf hadn’t been in a rush and a slower transformation meant less pain.

Prowling forward he sniffed at the abandoned campsite, whining as one of the scents caught his attention. It was one of the wolves in the team though Michael had no idea how to identify which one. The scent called to him like a siren’s song and Michael’s throat itched with the urge to howl but he tamped it down as he focused on the scent’s trail.

He needed to get this done quickly as he could because if the team had any information Jensen would need it as soon as possible.

The fact that the mystery wolf’s scent made his heart beat faster in his chest was just another reason to find the group of men quickly.

*O*

Jensen followed Julio down the narrow streets of the small town, holding his head straight when he noticed eyes watching him from the nooks and crannies that littered the streets. There was an unpleasant sensation thrumming through his bond with Cougar and he could scent Roque’s aggression on the air when another person turned to watch them go. Pooch was thankfully as calm as usual though even he was starting to look a little tense.

“How much further is this place?” Jensen asked Julio and the man paused, following Jensen’s gaze to one of the strangers who was watching them suspiciously.

Julio wrinkled his nose, turning away from the man to face Jensen. “We will be there in a few minutes,” he responded, before gesturing to the darkened crevices. “Ignore them….we tend to be a paranoid group and more than one loner has had a vengeful pack member attack them, so seeing your little group has probably put them on edge.”

“Why would they be attacked?” Cougar asked and it was only the bond that kept Jensen from startling….Julio wasn’t so lucky though the man did manage to curtail his reaction to a small flinch and side step so that Cougar was no longer in his blind spot.

“Some of us did not leave our packs on good terms,” Julio explained. “There are many wolves out here who have left behind angry pack members and while any action against a former pack member isn’t condoned, very few alphas have been known to step in once the loner has broken all ties with his or her former pack,” he expanded, glancing around before continuing. “Then there are those of us who simply do not wish to be found. You and your friends reek of pack and the two of you basically have a sign proclaiming that you’re alphas press stamped into your scent. All of these people can sense that and it’s making them….unsettled.”

Jensen exhaled slowly. “I’m gonna guess that nothing you say is going to make them feel better so that faster we get what we came for the quicker we’ll be out of your collective hair.”

Julio nodded. “That is for the best,” he confirmed before quickening his pace and Jensen adjusted his own stride to make sure that he didn’t lose sight of the man in the dark streets.

*O*

Julio had been right in his time estimate. It took them a few seconds to reach the hotel….though Jensen thought that calling it a hotel was a bit of a stretch.

The building looked like it was one strong breeze away from toppling over. The awning that had once adorned the front of the entrance was now in tatters with only a few scraps hanging onto their place as the gentle night’s breeze tugged at them. Jensen was pretty sure that he didn’t need wolf enhanced senses to pick up the foul scents that clung to the old walls and he wondered how any of their kind could live in the place.

The expression on his face must have said as much because Julio snorted in amusement. “Not many of us stay in places like these,” the man assured him. “Anthony was strange in that regard, because while he was willing to contact over loners, he did not feel safe sleeping in a place that housed any of our kind.”

“What I want to know is how he slept in this dump,” Roque groused as he examined the building’s exterior with a critical eye.

Julio shrugged. “He said it did not bother him though it did act as a good deterrent for others of our kind.”

“Ok, well I’m all in favour of getting this over and done with before my nose decides to mutiny so let’s go in,” Jensen ordered, stepping around Julio and heading for the door before his wolf could dig its heels in, though he couldn’t stop the wince as he opened the doors and the pungent odour grew even stronger. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, somebody needs to introduce these people to Febreeze.”

“The Pooch doesn’t think Febreeze is gonna fix this problem,” Pooch muttered as Cougar rubbed his hand across his face in an effort to reduce some of the scent that was currently filtering into his system.

Shaking his head Jensen headed for the main desk, pasting on a pleasant smile as he caught sight of the young receptionist manning it.

“Oh my God, please tell me you speak English because I’ve lost my friend and I’ve been searching all day but the idiot forgot to tell me which hotel he was staying in. Now I’ve got to get his things because he’s gone and crashed our rental and I need some form of identification before they think that I kidnapped his sorry ass and please tell me you can help.”

The young brunette gaped at him for a long moment, her eyes dark eyes flickering from him to the others before returning to his face.

“I speak English,” she admitted slowly and Jensen whooped, spinning around to face the others.

“Dudes, she speaks English which means ix-nay on the murdering Anthony thing,” turning back to face the girl Jensen leaned against the desk. “You are a miracle worker, a life saver and if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m totally married I would take you as my wife in a minute because you are awesome,” he gushed, letting his smile grow in a leer as she blushed. There was a small spike of irritation in the connection that he shared with Cougar but Jensen ignored it because if this was where the guy had been staying then Cougar would thank him later. Jensen was also hoping that flirting for information meant that he didn’t get kicked into the dog house. “Right, the idiot’s name is Anthony Samuels, he’s American bit on the skinny side probably hasn’t been seen for a while seeing as he’s currently camped out in the local hospital, tell me that you know who he is.”

The receptionist cleared her throat before reaching for the large folder on her desk. “G-give me a minute,” she stuttered and Jensen nodded.

“Take your time.”

The young woman quickly flipped through her filers before pausing and Jensen could smell the spark in her scent that meant that she’d found something. He was hoping that what she’d found was Anthony Samuels.

“Your friend’s name was Anthony?” she asked and Jensen nodded.

“Yeah, that’s him, have you found him?”

“Yes, I…..I really shouldn’t do this but I was the lost American in this country a few years ago, so here,” she plucked a key from the rack behind her. “His room is number sixteen. He’s paid for a month in advance; do you think he’ll be able to come back anytime soon?”

Jensen shook his head sadly. “Nah, he’s going straight home as soon as he leaves the hospital. We should probably pack his stuff up but I don’t want to get you in trouble so we’ll just collect the documents he needs and after that we’ll arrange for the rest of his stuff to be moved.”

The girl nodded as she handed the key to him. “I hope this gets sorted out soon and I really hope your friend feels better soon.”

“Me too and thanks again…though if you could forget the whole ‘murdering him’ thing that would be great too,” Jensen responded, grinning as the receptionist laughed and waved him off.

Following the signs Jensen waited until they were out of hearing range before turning to the others. “Why yes, I am truly that awesome.”

Pooch snorted. “Could you be awesome a bit faster? The Pooch’s nose feels like it’s about to drop off.”

Jensen sighed when Cougar chuckled. “I get no love,” he lamented, turning his gaze to Julio but the man just shrugged, clearly not willing to get pulled into it. Jensen rolled his eyes as he refocused on the door numbers. Hopefully finding room sixteen would provide them with more information about this mystery loner and would put them a step closer to finding out who would have wanted to target the Santiago pack.

*O*

Michael darted in and out of the shadows, his fur glinting in the moonlight where the tree branches had parted, letting the moon’s rays stream through. Michael snorted as he raced along, following the faint scent trail of the mystery wolf and his team.

It seemed like the group had kept to the forests, completely avoiding the small town and its occupants and other than two more campsites they had travelled in a straight line, which meant that they knew exactly where they needed to go. Michael knew that if the team was made purely of wolves they could have covered the distance in a single night but factoring in human team members meant that the journey would have taken them a bit longer. He wouldn’t be able to correctly assess how long it would have taken them until he actually found the group.

A small part of his mind pointed out that he was assuming they were still alive based on no evidence at all but Michael shook off the thought as he increased his speed because something in his gut was driving him forward and he never doubted his instincts.

*O*

The moon was almost halfway through it journey across the sky when the scent trail led Michael to an old warehouse that at first glance appeared to be abandoned. Paint was peeling from the walls of the building and only a few metres of the wire that had made up the fence was still standing. All of the windows that Michael could see were boarded up

Michael slowed as he scented the air. The smell of the wolf and his team seemed to lead straight to the building but Michael couldn’t find a place where their scent emerged again even as he circled the grounds.

Pawing at the ground Michael considered his options. While the scent of the Spec Ops team was a few days old, he could smell much newer scent trails entering and leaving the warehouse, so clearly someone had been in there after the team…that much was confirmed by the presence of a fairly new SUV that was parked at the far end of the premises. The big question was had they run into the team and if so what had happened to the team?

The sound of a door slamming shut inside the warehouse made Michael’s ears swivel forward and he took a step backwards, melting into the darker shadows of the trees just as the warehouse’s front entrance slid apart and a suited man stepped outside.

The man’s scent reached Michael before the stranger seemed aware of his presence and Michael’s hackles rose as he recognized the man as one of their kind.

The man raised his head, scenting the air but Michael was standing downwind from him and the ability to conceal their scent was one that had been passed down in their bloodline much like the Alvarez’s boasted the ability to track any scent despite its age.

Finally the suited wolf turned away, tugging his clothes in place as he made his way towards the SUV.

Michael waited patiently until the sound of the SUV’s engine shattered the silence of the night. The vehicle turned in a tight circle before heading out of the clearing following the faded tire tracks that Michael had noticed while examining the warehouse’s perimeter.

Once he could no longer hear the SUV Michael padded from the shadows, his body morphing as he moved. Wolf limbs lengthened as if to give way to his human form but instead the heavy coat of fur remained while the dark claws that tipped his paws thickened to match the fingers that emerged.

The fur that covered Michael’s back rippled, his skin stretching to make space for the growth of his muscles as he shifted from wolf to the half-human form that only the alphas of their kind were able to achieve.

The clouds shifted in the sky and for a moment Michael was illuminated by the moon’s light but by the time the clouds finished their journey he was gone from the spot, leaving nothing but a series of claw marks in the dirt to mark his passage.


	8. Chapter 8

“What kind of dumbass puts room sixteen after room twenty?” Roque groused as he leaned against the frame of said door waiting for Jensen to open it.

“Evil dumbasses, that’s who,” Jensen replied, twisting the key in the lock until it clicked. It took several tries for him to actually get the door open, the hinges protesting any movement and Jensen had to lean his weight against it to get it to give.

The room beyond the door was musty and the scent of stale air made Jensen snort though thankfully the room smelled better than the corridor and the moment that Jensen located the light switch the group stepped inside. Julio was the last person to enter the room and he shut the door behind him, leaning against it as the others spread out.

“Anthony lived here,” he murmured, inhaling deeply and Jensen glanced back at him, taking in the solemn look on the man’s face. Joe and then the other loners, who he’d been in contact with, had taught him that, unlike what most wolves believed, loners weren’t incapable of forming bonds with those around them. The only difference between a loner and a pack member was that where the bond kept most wolves grounded and would keep them coming back to the pack, the bonds that loners created were much more fleeting and changeable.

“Don’t lose hope, man. Your friend could be out there somewhere,” Pooch offered up and Julio shot the man a small, strained smile that said he really didn’t believe that but he was willing to accept the placation.

Jensen turned away from the others to examine a large pile of paper that was scattered across the small bed. Most of them were pharmacy and transaction receipts but Jensen had never heard of the drug that was prescribed on the sheets of paper. A spike of excitement in his head had him turning around just as Carlos held up a small mobile phone.

“I have found something.” Cougar told them as he scrolled through the phone and Jensen hurried to his side, reading the screen over his shoulder. Jensen’s eyes narrowed as he read, his expression darkening into a downright scowl by the time he was finished with the last message.

“Those are instructions, someone fucking told him to set those bombs’” he growled as his wolf latched on to the anger that Cougar was pumping down their bond.

“Tell me this guy signed that shit,” Roque demanded but Jensen just shook his head.

“It’s an unlisted number which might have worked wonders for hiding from someone less technologically savvy than yours truly. Let’s just say that whoever this douchebag is, he’s going to wish that he’d been using carrier pigeons instead of cell phones by the time I’m done with him,” Jensen responded as he accepted the phone from Cougar, watching his mate when the man moved the other side of the room to stare through the single dirty window. The wolf was urging him to go to his mate and sooth the pain and anger he could still feel resonating through their bond but the human side of him understood that Cougar needed time to cope with this new development.

“What does the message say?” Julio asked softly.

“It’s basically coordinates. The instructions tell him where to place each device and I’m guessing that your guy followed orders like a good little soldier,” Jensen replied as he flicked through the other messages. Most of them were from the same unlisted number and they all provided Anthony with information about the loners that were currently residing in the town.

“What kind of man would follow orders that would lead to the death of hundreds?” Cougar whispered and this anguish was clear in his tone though his back remained to them.

“A desperate one?” Pooch guessed

“Someone with much to lose or perhaps someone with nothing left to live for,” Julio suggested as he glanced around the room. “Anthony was social but he never seemed truly happy. If he truly did this then perhaps he was at the end of his rope.”

“Or maybe he was so stuffed full of drugs that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing,” Jensen muttered as he read through another of Anthony’s messages, this one informing him of how and when he needed to take the mystery drugs that Jensen had found on the papers. “Did Anthony smell sick to you?” he asked.

Julio shook his head. “Not that I noticed,” he admitted and Jensen frowned.

“This a helluva lot of drugs for someone who wasn’t sick,” he mused. “I’m thinking that we’re missing a really big piece of the puzzle but first things first. I need to get back to the hotel so that I can run a tracker on who sent the messages to him then we’ll figure out what’s going on with all these drugs.”

*O*

Max lowered himself into his seat and switched on his computers. The multiple screens allowed him to watch his facilities while he monitored the information his team of scientists were sending to him.

Everything seemed normal until a flashing light drew his attention to Facility One. At first he couldn’t see anything out of place but when he rewound the footage from the cameras his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the blond wolf flitting in and out of the shadows at the edge of the facility’s grounds.

It looked like they had another intruder but that wasn’t truly a problem because that facility was heavily guarded and even if the wolf got in,  their chances of getting out was slim to none existent.

Grinning Max leaned back in his seat. If luck was on his side his little intruder would be an alpha….it would save him the trouble of having to go out looking for one.

*O*

The thing that woke Trevor from his fever-induced sleep wasn’t the sound of his Commanding officer groaning in his sleep. It wasn’t the beep of machinery that he could hear from there even despite the fact that he wasn’t at his best. It wasn’t even the sound of the guards, one beta wolf and one human, who marched past their cell door every fifteen minutes. What woke Trevor was the most delicious scent he’d ever smelled. It was like someone had reached into his childhood and plucked out the scent of his gran’s blueberry pie before mixing it with the heavy musky smell of his own arousal. The scent drove him to his feet and he took several shaky steps towards the cell bars.

Pain tore through his side as the remnants of silver still in his body let themselves be known and Trevor had to bite back a pained whine but he couldn’t stop moving, not when the scent was so close and everything in his human and wolf mind was driving him forwards.

One of the human guards passed just as Trevor stopped in front of the bars, flopping down onto his stomach as he tracked the scent that was coming closer with each of his breaths.

The man rapped his baton against the metal and the ensuing ringing made Trevor wince.

“You waiting for a meal. Cujo?” the guard taunted and Trevor blinked languidly at him in response. He was pretty sure the idiot would only see a sick wolf gazing at him instead of realizing that Trevor was mentally calculating how much energy he would need to rip the fucker’s throat out if anyone opened the damn cell.

The man’s wolf companion paused and shot Trevor a knowing look before his nostrils flared. Trevor tensed because there was no way that the man hadn’t noticed the new scent but before the guard could say a word the sound of alarms going off echoed through the corridors. Behind Trevor the bed groaned but he didn’t take his eyes off the guards until the men hurried off. When they were out of hearing range Trevor turned just as Clay pushed himself upright and stumbled towards the bars.

“What the hell’s going on?” Clay rasped.

Trevor snorted and shook his head to show that he had as much of a clue as Clay did but at this point anything was better than the shithole they were currently stuck in.

*O*

Michael shared everything with Mark and that included their urge to hunt but Michael knew that his bloodlust surpassed his brother’s. The only other wolf that was on par with him in that regard was Jensen, it was one of the reasons why he got along so well with his nephew and Michael was pretty sure that Jensen would have loved to be here right now.

Getting into the building had been laughably easy and that was probably because of the fact that most wolves didn’t expect anything or anyone to encroach on their territory without a valid reason. As far as Michael was concerned the scent of old blood that grew stronger the moment he climbed through the only window that wasn’t boarded over was incentive enough to break a few social interaction rules.

Dropping down into the warehouse he paused, his eyes adjusting to the flare of the too bright light that hit him as his mind tried to sort through the scents that his nose was picking up. The scent of much fresher blood drifted along the corridor and Michael followed it.

The inside of the building was nothing like the outside. Instead the corridors that seemed to make up most of the structure were sterile….like something that Michael would’ve expected to see in the hospitals he’d worked with instead of inside of an old warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

The grey metallic shine of his surroundings were only broken by patches of darkness were several lights seemed to have blown out.

Michael kept to the shadows as he made his way further into the building. He could hear the beep of numerous machines from behind the closed doors that he passed, along with the steady beating of several human hearts. He ignored those because they were steady, with no hint of alarm that he could detect which meant that they hadn’t noticed his presence.

Pausing at one of the railings Michael peered down to where his nose was telling him that source of the scent of blood was coming from.

Having climbed the side of the building to access the window, he seemed to have put himself on the third or fourth floor of the building….from his vantage point he couldn’t be sure which it was but it wouldn’t take him much to make the leap down to the ground floor. There were a number of humans moving around down there, each of them dressed in the white garb that marked them as either lab workers or scientists.

This new observation made Michael frown because he’d smelled wolves all over the building, so where the hell were they?

With a silent snarl of frustration Michael pushed himself away from the railing, turning to find a way down that wouldn’t alert the whole building. He’d taken a single step forwards when the door ahead of him opened with a hiss that released stale oxygen and a mixture of scents that made Michael tense just as two beta wolves stepped out into the corridor.

Michael lashed out, grabbing the wolf closest to him and yanking as he pivoted sending the wolf sailing over the railing just as the other leapt at him, his body slamming into Michael’s and sending them both plummeting over the side as a barrage of alarms sounded through the warehouse.  

*O*

Michael twisted as he fell, and when he hit the ground his attacker’s weight cushioned his fall but he barely had the time to catch his bearings when another wolf broadsided him. They went down in a tangle of claws and fur as Michael lashed out, ripping through skin and muscle alike, the scent of blood rising in the air like a red flag being waved in front of a bull.

The wolf yelped in pain and kicked out, his legs catching Michael in the chest and sending him sailing backwards where he slammed against the door to what appeared to be a cell. The force with which he hit the metal made it groan beneath his weight as the impact dragged a pained grunt from his throat. Out of the corner of his eye Michael caught sight of a pitch black wolf struggling to its feet inside the cell but he couldn’t focus on that, not when the other two wolves were already racing towards him.

Michael ducked beneath the first swipe that came his way, reaching out, as the wolf’s momentum carried him forward, to grab the man’s red hair before using the grip to slam the wolf’s face into the bars. The move left him open and the other wolf slammed into him like a freight train, teeth that were as sharp as a Great White’s sinking into the muscle of Michael’s shoulder as the wolf leapt onto his back ripping a howl from Michael’s throat. Releasing the wolf that he had a grip on, Michael reached over his shoulder for the one still clinging to him like a demented limpet only to have the now free wolf grab his arms and yank him forward, slamming his head against the bars hard enough for Michael to hear something crack as pain roared through his head and blood flowed into his eye, blinding him temporarily.

Snarling Michael spun around before flinging himself back against the bars until a sickening crunch and yelp was heard as he squashed one of his attackers against the bars using the weight of his body to pin him there. Over the man’s cries and the growl of the other wolf that was racing towards him Michael heard the slick sounds that usually accompanied a shift, a second before the wolf on his back was yanked backwards and the snap of bones was followed by a forlorn whimper as the weight on Michael’s back lost its rigidity and slumped against him.

Spinning around Michael found himself face to face with one of the handsomest men he’d ever seen. Cool grey eyes regarded him as the stranger released his grip on Michael’s attacker letting the man’s body sump to the ground, his neck twisted at an angle that said he wasn’t getting up anytime soon. The scent pouring off the man told Michael two things; the man in front of him was the wolf he’d seen before and he was the source of the scent that Michael had caught at the campsite.

Michael was snapped out of his daze by a low snarl right behind him and the stranger’s eyes widened as the two forgotten wolves rushed Michael, their weight bearing him to the ground as one of the men shifted out, wolf sharp teeth digging into Michael’s skin as the other wolf tried to keep him pinned.

There was a commotion within the cell but Michael couldn’t stop to pay attention to that, instead he twisted beneath his human-formed attacker as he elbowed the grey wolf in its side hard enough to shatter a few ribs and the wolf’s pained yelp made Michael bare his teeth in pleasure. The expression was wiped off his face as sharp claws shredded the fur of his back, ripping into the skin beneath and Michael roared as his wolf reared to life pushing past the analytical human part of his brain until the world around him bled red as the alarms blared in the background.

*O*

Jensen sucked in a sharp breath as he triangulated the last signal from the phone that had been texting Anthony’s. It was either one helluva coincidence that the place was literally within walking distance of the Santiago pack grounds or it meant that somebody out there was willing to kill to get rid of their neighbours. Either way Jensen knew that hanging around here wasn’t going to do anything. The best thing for them to do was at least go and scout the place out to see if something was actually there or if the person who’d been texting Anthony had just picked a no man’s land to text the wolf from.

Shutting his laptop Jensen turned to face his little group.

“Ok, this time there’s only good news and if we’re really lucky and the Technology Gods are smiling down on us, we might even have a hunt to look forward to,” he told them, taking in the cold smile that stretched across Cougar’s face as his wolf roiled, sending a sense of want and now pouring down their bond.

Roque cracked his knuckles as he rose from his seat and for a moment amber eyes regarded Jensen before the familiar brown retook its position. “What are we waiting for, an invitation?” he demanded and Jensen shrugged, glancing at Pooch who nodded as Julio gestured towards the door.

“Your friend is right, delay will not help your investigation,” the loner pointed out and Jensen nodded, rolling his shoulders as he tamped down the wolf’s need to howl, after all this wasn’t a hunt…not yet.

*O*

Clay watched through bleary eyes as the three wolves tore into each other while Trevor yanked at the dead guard’s clothing, his gaze darting to the fight every time the alpha gave an indication of pain. His mind was as hazy as his eyesight but Clay was pretty sure that Trevor was looking for the set of keys that all of the guards seemed to carry and an exclamation of victory from his 2IC told him he was right.

Trevor stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily against the bars as he fumbled with the keys. A loud click sounded over the din of the scuffle and Trevor threw the doors open just as the alpha managed to heave the shifted out wolf off of him. In the blink of an eye Trevor had shifted again, slamming into the dazed wolf before it could regain its feet. His teeth sank into the fragile skin of the wolf’s throat and Clay had to turn his head as Trevor jerked backwards yanking flesh and muscle free.

The grey wolf collapsed with one last gurgle but Trevor paused, nosing at the wolf’s body as if to make sure that he was dead.

The elimination of his other opponent was all the alpha had needed and Clay watched as he made quick work of the final guard just as Clay followed Trevor out of the cell. He didn’t know this new wolf from Adam but the fact that Trevor had trusted him enough to help him in a fight made Clay decide to skip the interrogation part of the meeting. Not that he could make the wolf do a damn thing seeing as he was a few steps away from falling on his face or throwing up from the intense pain that seemed to have sunk into the very fibre of his being.

The alpha shook himself when the wolf on the ground stilled, pitch black eyes turning to Clay and as the wolf exhaled, his fur bled away leaving behind a tall dark haired, blue eyed man that watched Clay expectantly for a second before stepping forward.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and hope that you guys are part of the Spec Ops team that was sent out here?” he guessed.

Clay frowned at the words. “Even if we were, why should we tell you?” he demanded…he wasn’t stupid for all he knew this knew wolf could be part of another fraction that was after them.

The alpha snorted, his eyes falling to Trevor who had come to stop at Clay’s side. “Look, you don’t know me and I get that but this place is teeming with people who’re probably really unhappy about the fact that we just killed a few of their guys. Now, if that alarm was anything to go by this place has probably been shut down tighter than Fort Knox. So, not to rip off pop culture or anything but your options are either ‘Come with me if you want to live’ or stay here and wait until one of the guys that I can hear heading our way catches up to ya. It’s your choice.”

Clay blinked slowly, his already clouded mind trying to sort through the barrage of words that the man had just hit him with. Trevor pressed even closer to him as he listed to the side and the alpha took a step forward, aborting the move when Trevor growled out a warning.

The man held up his hands in supplication as he stepped back and Clay closed his eyes briefly. “I guess we don’t have much choice but for the love of God could you keep the chatter to a minimum? My head already feels like I went three rounds with an elephant.”

The man chuckled softly as he stepped closer to Clay and before he knew it the alpha had hoisted him onto his back, ignoring Trevor yelp of surprise. “If you think I talk a lot you’d probably try and murder my nephew in his sleep,” the man muttered as he turned down a corridor, jogging like he was carrying a piece of paper instead of a fully grown man. Clay turned his head enough to catch sight of Trevor limping alongside them and sighed as the urge to puke or pass out welled up in him again.

“If you get us out of this shithole I’ll listen to anyone you want me to,” he groused and the alpha barked out a laugh that made Clay’s ears ring as he sped up, though he kept his pace at something that Trevor could follow.

“I’m gonna hold you to that one.”


	9. Chapter 9

True to Jensen’s predictions, the trek to the coordinates had only taken a few minutes and Cougar scanned the building that it had led them to.

From the outside the warehouse would have appeared abandoned, if it wasn’t for the shouting and the pulsing red light that lit up the small spaces beneath the warehouse’s main door and the boarded up windows.

“Looks like somebody’s having a party in there,” Pooch muttered and Jensen grinned as he stepped into Cougar’s line of sight, a thin layer of fur already rippling across his skin.

“What say we crash it?” he offered up and instead of responding Roque shifted out, prowling from the shadows like one of the Dire wolves of old before breaking into a run as Jensen raced after him, quickly followed by Pooch and Julio.

Cougar was still for a second, glancing back towards the lands where his uncle and his pack used to live and as the scent of the still lingering ashes reached his nose he spun and raced after his mate.

Whoever was in that building was responsible for his family’s death and Cougar was going to make them regret the day they’d heard of the Santiago pack.

*O*

Max sucked in a sharp breath as he took in the five newcomers, he recognized Lord Jacob Jensen and the other alpha Carlos Alvarez. In any other situation he would have been most appreciative of the fact that two alphas were pretty much diving into his spider web but when added to the fact that another wolf had infiltrated the facility mere moments before this felt more like an invasion and Max did not react well to threats.

His finger flew over the keyboard as he brought up the information about both alphas and their packs even while the group tore through his security. He was still tracking the rogue wolf and now that he had a frame of reference he realized that the man was most likely either Michael or Mark Jensen.

One of his pages flashed and Max’s eyes widened before narrowing as a low growl escaped him. So the Jensen and Alvarez pack was now officially one pack which meant that this was an invasion.

Max’s lips pulled into a snarl as human anger bled into wolf rage.  

Pressing the intercom he waited until Wade answered.

“What can I do for ya, Boss?”

“I’m going to send you some coordinates and I need you to arrange a practice run with as many ferals as you can move in an hour.” Max responded.

“Human or wolf population?” Wade asked and Max smirked at the glee in the man’s voice.  There was a reason why he’d chosen Wade as his second and it sure as hell wasn’t the man’s smarts, as Wade had very little to speak of, but what he lacked in intelligence he made up for in sheer brutality.

“Wolf population,” Max told him as glared at the screen where Alvarez had just gutted another of his beta wolves.  “And Wade…..”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Make sure that the only things left standing are the buildings.”

“Copy that,” Wade replied and Max cut off the connection, steepling his fingers. He was going to make these idiots learn the hard way that no one fucked with him and got away with it.

*O*

The moment that the team dropped through the window they were set upon by a group of shifted out wolves.

Julio surged past Jensen hitting two wolves at once and giving the alpha time to shift as even more of the wolves poured down the corridor. Over the scent of rage and the bloodlust that hung thick in the air Jensen made out a familiar scent that made his lips pull back in a snarl. Either his uncle had been here or the man was still here and with the reception that they’d gotten Jensen doubted that the man was in good shape.

A wolf rushed towards him, yanking Jensen’s mind to the present and soon there was nothing but the rip and tear of flesh as he was attacked by three more of the unfamiliar wolves. He could hear and smell the rest of his team somewhere in the melee and the strong sense of rage coming from Cougar told him that his mate was in a similar position.

The thought made his wolf snarl, snapping at the human construct of Jensen’s mind and the blond didn’t even fight the wolf as it pushed against the barrier that kept Jake and Jensen separated. Instead he let himself free-fall into the wolf’s rage and he could feel his body shifting into his alpha form as his vision clouded.

*O*

Cougar bared his teeth at the wounded wolf that was pinned beneath his paws. He could still taste the wolf’s blood on his tongue and it made him want to bite again and again until there was no chance that the wolf would get up again but before he could the wolf stilled, its breath gusting out in a death rattle as another wolf charged towards him.

Ducking low, Cougar snorted when the wolf went sailing over his head before rounding on him.

The dark wolf rose to its feet, lips pulled up in a snarl as it stalked towards him but Cougar wasn’t about to play games, not when these wolves had something to do with his uncle’s death. Instead he rushed the wolf, snarling when it lashed out at him. Digging his claws in Cougar tried to stop but his forward momentum was too much and the wolf’s sharp claws tore into his shoulder with enough force to lay the flesh open to the bone.

Cougar howled as what felt like fire blazed across his foreleg and he stumbled when the wolf bore down on him, slamming into him and sending them both tumbling.

Blocking out the pain that was fading with each passing second Cougar kicked out, sending the wolf flying off him. The wolf hit the wall, momentarily dazed and Cougar used its disorientation to his advantage, rising to his feet while it tried to shake off the blow.Before it could regain its feet Cougar was on him, teeth and claws tearing at the skin of the wolf’s throat as it tried to fend him off but Cougar didn’t let up until the wolf’s life blood was leaking onto the concrete floor. Only then did he stumble away to join the others who looked just as battered as he felt but thankfully there didn’t seem to be any more wolves coming.

Jensen snorted, straightening from where he’d been crouched in his alpha form and Cougar padded over to him, licking at a rather nasty bite on his leg.  Jensen held still, letting Cougar tend to him until the wound closed.

A thread of thanks flowed through their bond as Jensen inhaled then started down a corridor that seemed to lead them further into the compound. Cougar took a second to glance at the others before following Jensen with a sharp bark.

*O*

Jodi glanced up as the klaxons sounded again, her dread clear on her face as she grabbed the bo staff that she kept in the Principal’s office. If another pack had been attacked all hell was going to break loose unless someone could explain who the heck was targeting them. She headed out into the corridor, stepping aside as a group of children were herded by her. It was protocol for the schools to be shut down once the alarm sounded even if they weren’t under attack.

Heading out into the yard Jodi froze when a cacophony of howls met her ears. Slamming her hand against the panel that sealed the school Jodi stepped further out into the yard, her eyes scanning the almost deserted grounds.

She could see several of the enforcers on top of their building where they’d be able to pick off any intruders before they got close but as the sounds came closer Jodi tightened her grip on the bo staff because the sounds that were echoing across the grounds held none of the coherence that she’d have recognized from her hunts.

The howls and calls she was hearing sounded disoriented and wrong in a way that made the hair on the back of her nape stand on end and when the first wolf rounded the corner she saw why.

The foaming mouth and the rancid scent that the wolf carried with it explained what was wrong….this was a feral wolf, one that had gone rabid, for lack of a better word. As Jodi watched another wolf appeared, then another until the peak that led down to the compound was lined with the ferals. Then with a snarl the wolves came racing towards them and Jodi growled as her own wolf pushed its way to the surface.

Ferals or not, nothing was getting past her….nothing would hurt their children.

*O*

Michael paused and cocked his head when the sounds of the oncoming guards stopped as suddenly as they had begun.

“Looks like they gave up,” he remarked, shifting to adjust the man that he was carrying on his back.

“Are we counting that as a good thing?” the man asked and Michael shrugged, freezing when the move made the man groan in pain. He could already smell the blood that was seeping beneath the man’s battered skin, most likely a result of some quality time at the hands of guys who made a living out of hurting people. Michael was also aware of the fading scent of silver that lingered on the wolf at his side and he longed to ask what the hell had happened to the two of them but he didn’t think that they’d be very forthcoming.

“Anything that keeps you two out of a fight is being counted as a good thing in my books,” Michael responded as he started down the corridor again. He didn’t mention the fact that he could hear another group of people following them though from the way that the dark wolf’s ears perked up Michael was pretty sure that he was well aware of the fact that they were being followed.

*O*

Jodi watched as the first wave of the ferals was intercepted by the Enforcers. Their people moved quickly and efficiently, dispatching every wolf in their path without a hint of hesitation and Jodi was sure that Jensen would be proud of his recruits.

One of the wolves darted past the enforcers and Jodi swung her bo staff, baring her teeth in pleasure when the metal tip caught the wolf below its jaw. The sound of bones shattering was accompanied by an enraged cry as the wolf lunged at her but Jodi was ready for it and as she stepped out of the way of its charge she brought the staff down on the wolf’s spine.

The wolf yelped as its spine broke leaving it slumped on the ground and before it could move again Jodi brought her foot down on its neck, pressing hard with her heel until the wolf stopped moving before turning back towards the other ferals heading their way.

More of the pack’s older members had left their homes and Jodi was happy to see that none of them had shifted out, making it easier to pick their people out of the chaos that had erupted around them.

A rabid snarl from behind her had Jodi spinning around as one of the ferals barrelled into her sending her crashing to the ground beneath its weight and Jodi couldn’t stop the scream that was ripped from her throat as the wolf latched onto the arm holding her staff. Sharp teeth sank far enough to scrape the bone of her forearm and Jodi’s wolf howled as she thrashed beneath the feral.

Twisting her body Jodi slammed her fist into the wolf’s face, claws digging at the soft flesh of the feral’s eyes.

The wolf howled with pain as blood and gore wet Jodi’s claws, and fingers. Jodi took the opportunity that was presented by its loosened grip to kick the wolf off her, rollingonto her hands and knees so that she was facing the wolf. The feral’s fur was soaked with blood and there was a gaping hole where its right eye had once been. The sight made Jodi bare her teeth in pleasure while she used her grip on her bo staff to rise to her feet as the wolf lumbered forward, its movements jerky and unnatural like the scent that it carried. A voice that sounded very much like Jensen’s squawked something about zombie invasions in her head and Jodi sent up a quick prayer for her brother and the others as she turned, keeping the circling feral in her line of sight.

She wasn’t stupid and the fact that these wolves had arrived so soon after Jensen’s group had left either meant that the attack had been planned long before, because ferals or not this was an attack, or Jensen had stepped on someone’s toes and they were lashing out. While the first option was a valid one until they got more information Jodi’s gut was telling her that the second one was the right one and her mistake with Robert had taught her to follow her gut even more.

The thought of Robert made an image of Beth flash before her eyes and Jodi’s next warning snarl was guttural because ferals weren’t wolves, not anymore…they were creatures of destruction in wolf skin and whereas even a loner wouldn’t attack a cub, ferals had no such qualms.

The wolf seemed to sense her determination and it lunged forward but this time Jodi met it dead on, fur rippling as the muscles in her face shifted with the need to take on their more natural form to meet this enemy. But even as she let the miniscule change flow over her, she tightened her grip on her self-control because if she did shift out completely it would just cause more chaos with the smell of the ferals almost blotting out those of the other pack members.

Skidding to a stop she planted her feet and swung the staff in a tight horizontal arc, putting all of her strength behind the swing and this time when the metal met bone the feral didn’t even have the time to yelp as the left side of its face caved in, sending blood and flesh splattering across the golden dirt as it went down like a sack of rocks.

Jodi stalked towards the creature’s still twitching body and crouched, her claws easily finding and ripping through the wolf’s throat and as its last breath gurgled from it she grinned. “Lights out, you ugly fucker.”

*O*

Jensen wasn’t entirely sure if his ability to track his uncle’s scent came from the fact that it was almost identical to his dad’s or if it was because of the close bond he shared with the man but ever since he was a cub Michael couldn’t hide from him. He used the same talent now as he tracked his uncle through the strange compound and after they descended another set of stairs Jensen realised that there was no way that they were still above ground.

The facility was set up like the Tardis, bigger on the inside and Jensen was pretty sure that if it wasn’t for their awesome ability to cut out stairs by just leaping from one level to the next like really hairy lemurs they’d still be stuck on what he’d initially thought was the ground level of the building.

Hell even at the speed that they were moving it didn’t feel like they were getting anywhere fast.

Cougar was keeping pace with him easily and his mate nearly ran into his back as Jensen slowed, his uncle’s scent was so close now that Jensen could almost imagine the familiar sound of his heart but there was several other scents mixed in with his uncle’s that made the lust for blood rear its ugly head again. If any of these idiots had hurt Michael Jensen wasn’t going to be responsible for his actions. The thought made his fur bristle across his back and he could feel Cougar’s tension leaking through the bond but Jensen’s attention was fixed on the shadows ahead that hid his uncle from view and the low warning grumble that echoed from them.

*O*

Michael wasn’t a big fan of running but he’d meant what he said there was no way that these two would be able to survive another fight with one of their kind and he’d really like to get them out of there in one piece.

It wasn’t until the dark wolf stumbled with a muted yelp that Michael realized that Plan A was no longer an option. Reaching up he smashed the bulbs as they ran, plunging the corridor into darkness before licking the blood from the quickly wound on his hand.

Then without a word he lowered the, now unconscious, human from his back, nodding in thanks when the wolf planted himself in front of the man watching the other end of the corridor as Michael turned his attention to the place where he could hear the beat of thundering paws echoing from.

The moment stretched out tensely as the wolves came closer but Michael was unable to get a bead on how many there were, not with the scent of blood and death clouding their own natural smell….or maybe that was the scent that they always carried with them and that was a fucking terrifying thought. But despite the fact that the odds weren’t in his favour Michael held his ground because if he was going to go down he wasn’t going out with a whimper and his bang was going to be bloody as hell.

The first wolf that stepped into sight nearly made Michael take a step back. The alpha’s fur was matted with blood and the pitch black eyes that tracked Michael spoke of a madness that he didn’t want to go up against.

Michael almost growled when the faintest hint of a smell curled through his nostrils and he froze, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Jensen?”

In the blink of an eye the terrifying alpha melted into the form of his slightly less terrifying nephew and Michael barely held back the hysterical laughter of relief that bubbled up in his throat when Jensen grinned at him, tongue swiping out to remove the layer of red that coated his lips.

“We’re here to rescue you?” the blond offered up with a shrug as the other wolves shifted back to their human form . “Ok, we totally didn’t know that you needed rescuing. We’re after the asswipe that arranged for the Santiago pack to be targeted, rescuing you is just an added bonus. A really good bonus but kind of an unexpected…..wait who’re your friends?” he babbled and Michael couldn’t help but laugh.

*O*

Jodi panted, yanking the ripped shreds of her shirt from her body, leaving her in her bra and jeans. Her stomach was littered with claw and bite marks which were quickly healing leaving behind bloody trails as evidence that they’d been there and there was an ache in her back that had come from a particularly nasty sneak attack but she was still standing and that was all that mattered.

Around her the other pack members were in a similar state as they helped each other up.  Several of the members with medical training were helping the younger wolves who had intervened when it looked like the ferals wouldn’t stop coming but now with the dead bodies of the creatures strewn across the ground Jodi could see the full magnitude of the attack. There was no way that this number of ferals would have just attacked a single pack. They never worked in groups which was probably the only reason why their pack had survived the attack….Jodi dreaded to think what would have happened if this number of wolves had hit a human population. It would have been mass pandemonium and God knows that the backlash would have put them back centuries in their human-wolf treaties. As it there had probably been fatalities but Jodi was praying that they had managed to keep the damage to a minimum.

Yanking at her braid, Jodi turned away from the clean-up, heading for the main building because protocol meant that the school would stay sealed until the alphas gave the order.  

*O*

Wade snarled as he watched the compound from the ridge where he’d set up his surveillance. No one had told him that they had their own security unit and those fuckers moved like they were Spec Ops. The only ferals that had gotten past any of the wolves had gone up against the young ones who looked they should still be in High School and even they had wiped out a number of them when they started forming small packs instead of taking out the ferals head on.

Max wasn’t going to be happy.


	10. Chapter 10

Jensen was pretty sure that in some universe having six naked, blood-stained guys trying to creep along a corridor would probably be strange, sadly in his universe it was considered a good thing. He wasn’t even going to say anything about the strange wolf and the unconscious human that his uncle was carrying around.

“Not to burst anyone’s bubble but am I the only one that’s hearing the Frankenstein beeping? Because if that’s the case I’m totally in favour of ignoring it until Cougar gets sick of my insanity and tries to get me professional help but if not we really need to see what’s behind doors number one through one hundred,” Jensen muttered as he paused and glanced at the door in question.

The further down the corridor they’d come , the louder the beeping had grown and Jensen wasn’t about to not snoop because any information they managed to get about whoever was running the place was good information, as far as he was concerned.

“I hear it too.” Cougar responded, shrugging when Jensen shot him a betrayed look because seriously was everyone just waiting for him to say something? This was how people died in horror movies….if he heard a voice telling him to ‘Come closer,’ he might just lose the limited number of marbles that he still had.

“We’ve all been hearing the damn noise. I was waiting to see how long it was gonna take your dumb ass to comment on it,” Roque grumbled and Jensen shook his head because seriously what was his team? Bloodshed they could handle without the slightest instruction….sleuth work? Not so much.

“Ok, we’re totally going to ignore Roque because he’s in a bad mood….I think it’s that time of the month,” Jensen said, smirking when Roque glared at him as the wolf snorted in amusement. “All those in favour of us looking behind creepy door number one, speak now or forever hold your peace….”

“Jensen, open the damn door,” Michael growled, interrupting Jensen’s speech and the blond alpha rolled his eyes as he stepped up to the panel.

“First of all, everyone was totally in favour of ignoring the door, now it’s ‘Open the door, Jensen’ and ‘We heard it too but didn’t say anything, Jensen’. You know what? I’m totally voting all of you out of my clubhouse and I’m only keeping Pooch, Julio and the quiet wolf guy….” he murmured as he examined the panel before keying in a sequence that made the machine start to blink. Behind him Cougar took a step back when the panel beeped furiously but Jensen seemed oblivious. “And you know what? It’s gonna suck to not be in my clubhouse because it will be awesome and we’ll make sure to rub it all in your faces….well maybe not Sleepy head’s face but that’s mostly because I’m not a big fan of teasing unconscious people and dude he totally looks like someone already put him through the wringer….” here he paused and glanced down at the wolf still watching him. “No offense, you sort of look the same way but it’s all good because the clubhouse is gonna fix all that, though I’m probably going to have to invite Cougs too. Mostly because he’s sort of evil and he’d totally make my life a living hell if I didn’t….” the panel beeped one last time and Jensen grinned as the screen flashed green just as the door hissed open. “Yeah, baby. Who’s your daddy?” he purred, stepping into the dimly lit room.

“The Pooch still doesn’t understand how the hell he talks so much,” Pooch observed, blinking out of his Jensen induced stupor.

“It’s a question his parents have tried to answer many times,” Michael shot back as Cougar stepped into the room.

Jensen on the other hand was ignoring their chatter while he focused on the length of monitors that adorned the room’s far wall.

The only furniture in the space were four computer chairs that were in front of the screens and numerous keyboards and guns that adorned the single long table that ran beneath the monitors. It was pretty obvious what the room was used for and as Jensen glanced at the screens he froze, his blood running cold as image after image flickered before his eyes.

Each monitor was labelled with a number and letter sequence that made little sense to him but the visuals on the screen was what Jensen was focusing on.

Most of the rooms on display were set up like tiny cells that boasted padded walls, that once must have been white but now they were stained a dark brown and as Jensen’s attention focused on one room in particular he could tell where the colour had come from.

The wolf in the room was dirty, its fur mangled like it had been in several serious fights but as Jensen watched he realized that maybe that assessment was way off track. The wolf turned in a tight circle, its body twitching like it was being shocked by a cattle prod. Suddenly the wolf froze, ears perking forward like it had heard something then without a single warning it lunged, slamming its own body against the padded walls. Its momentum made it rebound but instead of stopping the wolf snarled and lunged again before flopping onto its back, sharp teeth locking onto its own legs as it tore away flesh and skin from the limb and Jensen had to turn away as foam began to froth around the wolf’s muzzle.

Similar scenes were shown in every room except one.

The only room where nothing was happening held a single wolf cub that was curled in on itself. Even though there was no sound coming from the rooms Jensen didn’t need a direct line to know that the baby was probably crying its heart out and it made Jensen’s wolf rage within him because this was a fucking kid! What type of sick bastard would do something like this?

Cougar stepped up beside him and Jensen’s muscle tensed even more when Cougar’s sense of horror slammed into him. “They are ferals.”

“A whole fuckton of ferals and what do you bet that they weren’t just collected,” Jensen whispered.

“Who the fuck would do something like this?” Michael asked, his tone cold and Jensen knew that his uncle was having the same thoughts that he was but before he could respond the intercom switched on which a sharp shriek that made Jensen wince as an unfamiliar voice filled the room.

“That would be me, Mr Jensen and since you were so generous as to invade my facility, I’ve decided to return the favour,” the voice purred. “Tell me, how well do you think your pack would cope against a hostile takeover minus the takeover, of course.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Roque demanded, glancing around the room.

“I’m the person whose toes you shouldn’t have stepped on,” the man responded. “One would think the Santiago pack would have taught you all that…..”

Cougar snarled at the words. “I will kill you,” he spat as the muscles shifted beneath his skin, showing just how close he was to shifting out but the man just laughed, a cold, cruel sound that made the hair on Jensen’s neck stand on end.

“First you would have to find me and you’ve done a fairly awful job of that so far and at present all it would need is the press of a button to wipe you all off the face of the Earth so here’s what’s going to happen. You and your little friends are going to surrender yourselves to my human workers as you’ve so helpfully incapacitated all of my betas and then I will make sure that you have at least part of a pack to go home to.”

Jensen snorted. “First off, dude, fuck you, please and thank you. Do you think that a few ferals could wipe out our pack?” he laughed, eyes narrowing as they focused on the lens of the camera in the corner of the room. “Send your ferals and whatever the hell you have and we’ll send them back in little pieces and that’s not even thinking about what the Alvarez clan is gonna do to them. And seriously you’re gonna bluff about blowing up your building? Because we’re gonna believe that,” shaking his head Jensen exhaled before continuing in a tone so cold it felt like a tundra had hit the room as his eyes shifted to the pitch black of his alpha form. “Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re gonna shut this place down and put these wolves that you’ve turned into ferals to sleep because they deserve that much but after that, we’re going to hunt you down and I’m going to watch as my mate rips your throat out with his teeth,” Jensen finished on a whisper as he walked towards the tables and started typing. “Oh and you know that whole ‘press of a button’ thing? It’s cute, totally sounds like you’re a proper villain but this is how you do it. Say bye bye, asswipe,” Jensen smirked as he shut down the system.

Turning to face the room his shook his head, blinking until his eyes were back to his normal blue. “I officially hate that guy.”

*O*

Max snarled as his screens went dead barely resisting the urge to hurl his phone into the monitor. The little idiot had shut him out of his own systems! He was going to enjoy the look on the man’s face when he returned home to find nothing left of his pack but body parts strewn across the place that they called home but that didn’t fix the problem at hand. This facility was not only his largest but also the only one which held what he thought was probably the answer to his problem….a  newly-born wolf cub.

It had been a fleeting thought at first when he realized that one of the betas that worked for him had been pregnant but the more he thought of it the more the idea solidified. As cubs wolves often displayed the same aggression that was seen in an alpha’s berserker mode which either meant that the ability was something that all cubs possessed and some grew out of it was an evolutionary abnormality that was triggered by a unique set of genes. Either way, he needed more alphas to isolate the gene and he needed to secure the results from the rounds of tests that had been done on the cub. In truth the damn thing probably wouldn’t live because it had been rather listless during the last testing phase, which made sense because cubs bonded with either their parents or the pack. They used the connection to leach from the fully grown wolves around them and that ensured that they made it to puberty but this cub hadn’t had the chance to form those bonds. So the cub was pretty much a lost cause but Max wasn’t going to let this group of ignoramuses overrun his facility!

Exhaling slowly he gathered his thoughts. He was locked out of the system which meant he wouldn’t be able to remotely access the facility but he still had human workers inside the building and like he’d told the blond Jensen, all he needed to do was push a button but that didn’t mean he had to use his fingers to do it.

Reaching for one of the disposable mobiles Max rang through to the safe room where the workers had been instructed to hide in case of an emergency…..he was going to give those idiots the shock of their lives!

*O*

Cougar hurried after Jensen as they made their way down the corridor. They’d split into pairs, leaving Julio to guard the strange human while Pooch and Roque took another corridor leaving Michael and the unfamiliar wolf to take the other. Their mission was pretty simple open each door with the code that Jensen had given them and with a single shot to the head they’d put the ferals out of their misery.

Jensen had balked at the suggestion when his uncle offered it up but with no resources and time running out it was the best they could do especially with the knowledge that somewhere in  the facility a lone club was being held in less than favourable conditions. Even now Cougar could feel the heavy sense of guilt that was throbbing through their bond and he knew that this wasn’t something that Jensen was comfortable with. Which was understandable on one hand but on the other his mate needed to understand that sometimes an alpha had to make hard decisions…ones that could literally mean life or death for the wolves around them. Yet despite that knowledge Cougar was glad that Jensen hadn’t been the one to truly make the decision though he’d seen the heaviness in Michael’s eyes when he shot down each of Jensen’s alternative suggestions. Cougar had also noticed the way the wolf at his side had drawn closer to him as the man’s scent soured with sorrow. There was most likely a story there but he knew that they’d have to wait until they got out of this place to find out what it was.

Bumping against Jensen, Cougar rumbled low in his throat….the sound was one that was meant to broadcast comfort to pack members and for a moment Jensen’s stride faltered as he glanced at Cougar with a small sad smile.

“I’m being a dumbass, right?” the blond huffed out finally. “I mean, I get that there’s nothing else we can do, it’d take months for us to figure out what the hell that idiot did to them to get all of those wolves to turn feral. We don’t even know if they weren’t feral to begin with and he just collected them but I can’t shake the feeling that this shit goes way deeper than the bombing. This guy had access to loners, his guy was actively trying to recruit other loners and we just suddenly have a feral boom? That stinks of bad mojo.”

“You believe that he has made the ferals from the lost loners?” Cougar guessed and Jensen’s sense of guilt spiked alarmingly as the man seemed to shrink into himself….at least as much as a six foot two naked person could shrink into himself.

“I think so but did you see those cells? If you were going to house a load of ferals why not just keep them in pens? They’re pretty much indestructible and it’d be way more cost efficient. Nah, it feels like we’re still missing something, something really big and what about the cub? Everyone knows that they can’t go feral so that means he’s keeping the kid here for some other reason and I’m thinking that that reason is the real big secret behind all of this,” he muttered gesturing towards the corridor in front of him.

Cougar opened his mouth to respond when a strange sound made his head snap up just as Jensen froze at his side. The sound came again, a high frequency whine that made him want to grit his teeth but this time it was followed by an ominous click that seemed to be coming from up ahead and as Cougar watched one of the doors flew open, then another and another like a house of cards collapsing until every door was open.

The hall was silent for a moment until the heavy silence was shattered by a single low growl as a wolf prowled out of the cell, amber eyes flickering around before locking on them while foam dripped from its muzzle splattering onto the floor when it snarled at them.

“This is not our fucking day,” Jensen whispered tersely and as another feral joined the first Cougar couldn’t help but agree.

*O*

“The Pooch does not like this shit,” Pooch groused as he followed Roque further into the compound. Only Jensen would somehow solve a mystery while simultaneously gaining a whole new enemy for their pack. The man’s threats were still circling in Pooch’s head and even though he knew that Jolene could handle herself he couldn’t help but worry because fighting ferals was a whole lot different than fighting other wolves. The things didn’t think like another wolf did and like a zombie they’d keep coming until they were completely dead, disregarding any damage to themselves as long as they managed to get you in the process. Pooch had had a few run ins with them while he was on border patrol and if he never had to face one of the things again it would be too soon.

“I don’t know what you’re complaining to me for,” Roque snorted. “It ain’t like I’ve got a magic wand up my ass that I’m gonna use to get us out of here. “

“This is why I didn’t want to get paired with you. Do you know who dies first in horror movies? Black guys and the grumpy people, you’re a freaking bad luck charm right now and I bet……” Pooch’s complaint trailed off as a loud click echoed through the corridor just as the doors ahead of them swung open. A low snarl rent the air and Pooch groaned. “I fucking knew it,” he muttered even as his fingers curled into claws when the first feral leapt from its cell, its glowing eyes fixed on the two of them. Three more ferals soon joined the first and this time Roque was the one who growled.

“If we fucking survive this I’m going to kill you.”

“If we survive this the Pooch is gonna stay very far away from you from now on,” Pooch shot back, shifting out as the first feral lunged at them.

*O*

Michael made his way along the corridor, keeping his pace slow enough that the wolf wasn’t pushed beyond his capacity. The scent of silver had lessened considerably as had the smell of blood and Michael figured that something within the cell had been keeping the wolf’s healing abilities tamped….most likely wolf’s bane in the walls. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had used their weakness against them and most state prisons had cells built specifically to keep a wolf weaker than normal so that they were manageable.

“You know, I never realized how weird it is trying to talk to a wolf, no wonder most humans just ignore us. It’s kind of hard to figure out much more than the basics when your conversational partner is lacking the…..” his words trailed off as the slick sound of a shift filtered up to his ears and a second later a man was once again standing where the wolf had been. “….or you could do that and get all the important bits,” he finished in a rush. “Hi.”

The wolf…man grinned at him, still healing bruises marring most of his body and Michael’s eyes were drawn to the closing wounds around his ribs but when the man spoke he refocused on the stranger’s face pushing past the haze that was trying to rise with each inhale as the man’s scent curled in his nostrils.

“Hello,” the man responded, his voice husky either from misuse or overuse, Michael couldn’t tell. “Thanks for helping us out back there; I think we were overstaying our welcome.”

Michael resisted the urge to step to the side when he realised that he pretty much wanted to prance in front of the guy. That wasn't going to happen because he wasn’t a damn horse and he was way too old to be trying to impress someone.

“Er, no problem. I was tracking your scent from the camp and it led me here,” he explained and the man’s expression shuttered for a moment.

“It was a trap. They knew we were coming and I’m pretty sure that none of us were supposed to get out alive but they wanted me for something so they didn’t put up much of a fight when I tried to protect Clay but they got everyone else,” he finished on a whisper and Michael stared at him but said nothing because he remembered well how much he’d hated the practiced words of sympathy that people used to offer whenever something happened to his team.

“If it’s any condolence I’m pretty sure that Jensen and his group wiped those guys out,” he offered up and the man smirked, flashing just the barest hint of teeth.

“It does make me feel a helluva lot better,” he admitted with a shrug.

Michael opened his mouth to comment on that when a sharp sound made him wince. The sound grew until it suddenly stopped and a loud click echoed through the corridor.

“That does not sound good,” Michael whispered but before the stranger could respond  several doors slammed open and Michael sucked in a sharp breath as the scent of decay and something that was so inherently wrong waftedtowards them as something shifted in the shadows and Michael tensed as glowing eyes appeared in the dark, staring straight at him.

“I’m really starting to hate this guy,” the man growled and Michael nodded in agreement. He was going to enjoy bringing this jackass down but first they were going to have to survive this.

*O*

Max smirked as the worker, minion really because most of the idiots didn’t even know what they were working towards, informed him that the doors to all the cells holding the ferals had been opened. Honestly building a fail-safe inside of the safe room had been a stroke of genius, if he did say so himself.

He’d give the ferals a few hours to finish off the wolves then he’d send in a containment crew….human again and completely unaware of what happened at the facility. It was one of his rules, none of his employees, not even Wade, knew everything about what he was working towards.

In truth using the ferals was a bit of a waste because he’d lose the two definite alphas that the group boasted but Max wasn’t stupid enough to think that the humans could overpower a team that had taken out his security like they were nothing more than untrained cubs despite the injuries that the fight had caused. No, these wolves needed to be removed and hopefully they’d be the last group of interlopers that he got for a while.

Speaking of Wade, the man should have reported back already but then again Wade did tend to get a little….caught up in his work. Max dipped beneath his desk, taking out the phone that he used to contact the man and settled back to hear the status report from the attack on the Jensen-Alvarez pack.

*O*

Wade winced when his phone vibrated. There was only one person who could be calling him on this number and with the results that he’d gotten he knew that he was going to get chewed out even though it technically wasn’t his fault that the ferals had failed. His boss wasn’t exactly logical at the best of times and for the man to send in an all-out invasion this pack must have seriously pissed him off.

Sighing he grabbed the phone from the seat of his van because putting it off would just make the boss man angrier. Refocusing on the road ahead of him he activated the phone’s handset because he needed to get the hell out of dodge before the wolves started sniffing around to figure out where the ferals had come from.

The moment the line was open the man began to speak, before Wade could get a word in edgewise.

“I trust that everything went well?” he inquired and Wade resisted the urge to sigh in defeat.

“Not as well as I thought it would,” he responded apologetically, keeping his tone soft and submissive. The boss liked to pretend he was an alpha and Wade had seen him kill wolves just because they made eye contact with him without his permission….he claimed that it was to ensure that the others respect his authority but as far as Wade was concerned his actions just proved the fact that he wasn’t all there in the head. Not that he was complaining because the boss man let him control his own missions in a way that the army had never done while ensuring that he had a pseudo-pack back at their normal base.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the boss growled and Wade snorted softly, his wolf pawing at him as he fought his instinctive urge to bare his teeth at the anger in the boss’ voice.

“They kind of wiped out the ferals,” Wade admitted….it was easier to just give the man the facts up front because if he had to go digging it would just make the situation worse. “There were more of them than I thought there would be and while there were a few kills they pretty much tore through our group like they were kibbles.”

Max was silent for a long moment and if it wasn’t for the steady thump of the man’s heartbeat echoing over the phone Wade would have thought that he’d hung up.

“How many of them did you bring?” Max asked finally, his voice cold as displeasure threaded its way through his tone.

“Brought all the ferals we had in Facility B, so that’s about three hundred plus the new group that was brought across,” Wade responded blandly because he’d known that the boss man would try and blame him for what had happened but this definitely wasn’t his fault and while he wasn’t going whine about it like a bitch he wasn’t going to cover up the fact that he’d done exactly what he’d been ordered to. “All in all we had about four hundred ferals down there and they lasted all of three hours. These wolves weren’t like the other packs, they were organized and they knew what they were doing. Fuckers reacted like they’d been trained. They didn’t panic, didn’t send out everyone in one go, they were spread out, left no weak spots and pretty much wiped us out,” he reported, keeping his facts short and exact.

“How many wolves were out there?” Max demanded and Wade took a moment to think on it as he switched into the slow lane.

“Rough estimate about six hundred, from what I could see anyway which doesn’t mean there wasn’t more because someone was taking pot-shots from the roofs.”

“We’ve sent in less ferals to deal with more wolves than that, so what the hell happened this time?” Max snarled and Wade rolled his eyes because how many times was he going to have say the same thing?

“Those wolves were well trained, boss. They didn’t make mistakes and they knew what they were doing,” he repeated, keeping silent until Max huffed in frustration.

“This group is beginning to get on my last nerve,” he admitted but his tone sounded distracted and Wade wasn’t surprised when a minute later the phone went dead.

Max was the strangest fucking wolf he’d ever worked with but the perks of the job meant that he was willing to put up with the man….for now.

*O*

Julio frowned as the screens that showed the cells of the ferals began to flicker red a second before every door opened. This was not good….not good at all and he really hoped that Jensen and his friends could handle themselves because all of the ferals were streaking from their confines heading out into the corridors and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess where they were headed.

For most wolves the idea of ferals was sort of like a human boogie man…even more so for loners. Ferals were apparently wolves that had lost all touch with their humanity because a wolf could be just as cruel as a human; they could kill and steal without any remorse like a sociopath but while wolves and humans did it for gain or for the pleasure of the act, ferals killed because they could. There was no other thought behind it and various tests run on the creatures had shown that they existed with a sort of black hole at their centre. There was no sense of self, of want or need anymore, there was nothing but the never ending bloodlust that drove them on and a feral wouldn’t stop coming until it literally couldn’t move anymore. Some wolves believed that the same thing that caused human madness caused the feral condition but even more of them believed that ferals were the result of wolves who couldn’t properly form pack bonds….like loners. It was why once upon a time loners had been avoided and even targeted and now looking at the foaming mouths and blank eyes of the ferals prowling through the corridors Julio could understand the type of fear that had drove his brethren to react as they had.

A ragged cough drew Julio’s attention away from the screens just as the human stirred, blinking heavy eyelids as he tried to focus on his surroundings.

“Where the hell am I?” he rasped and Julio shot him what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he blocked the screens.

“Somewhere safe,” Julio responded, wincing when a loud howl rose through the air. “Somewhere safer than out there,” Julio amended, ignoring the disbelieving look on the man’s face as he caught sight of the fights happening on several of the screens. “Ok, look would you rather be out there in the middle of that?” Julio asked and when the man shook his head Julio offered up a wry grin. “I’ve been left on human sitting duty so I will not allow any of those creatures to get to you.”

The human eyed him for a long moment before shrugging. “They’re wolves, aren’t they? Maybe you can reason with them?”

Julio snorted as he turned back to the monitors. “I would have more success reasoning with a T-Rex,” he admitted.

*O*

Jensen hit the ground hard when the one the last ferals flung itself at him, its slavering jaws snapping just inches away from his face as Jensen held it off with a hand around its throat, his free hand scrabbling for the guns that they’d found in the surveillance room. The thing had been knocked out of his hand when the first feral had attacked and if it wasn’t for the glint of silver out of the corner of his eye Jensen would have thought that he’d lost it completely. If this was ordinary combat it would have felt like a cop out but Jensen needed to find that cub before the ferals did and whether he wanted to admit it or not he was growing tired despite his accelerated healing.

The feral seemed to sense his distraction and Jensen cried out as sharp claws began to tear into his chest when the creature realized that he was vulnerable here. Blood flowed from the wounds splattering against the wall beside them with every frenzied lunge that the feral made and Jensen snarled as he brought his elbow crashing into the wolf’s jaw sending it rolling off him. His body shifted without his consent, his wolf rushing forward as it overtook his human mind and in the space of one breath Jensen had reverted to his full wolf form, his blond fur soaked with the blood from his still healing wounds. Charging forward Jensen caught the wolf as it found its feet and he bowled the feral over, his claws digging into the skin of the creature’s ribs while he growled.

The feral yelped beneath the onslaught, twisting as it tried to buck him off but Jensen was too far gone to even think of stopping now. Instead he lunged, his teeth digging into the fur that covered the feral’s spine.

He could hear Cougar’s fight happening a few feet away but Jensen’s attention was fixed firmly on the creature beneath him. Some part of his wolf registered the wrongness that the feral carried with it like a cloak but most of its mind was fixed on the inflicting the damage that the wolf had wrought back onto it.

In one last burst of energy the wolf managed to buck Jensen off and he skidded as he dug his claws in, trying to stop himself. Shaking his head he growled, a warning sound that seemed to travel through his entire body and his fur rippled, spiking up to make him look even larger when the feral lumbered towards him.

Flaps of skin gleamed in the low light, highlighting the places where Jensen had ripped into the creature’s side and each of the feral’s steps left a blood red paw print on the concrete floor but the creature didn’t seem to notice any of that as it kept coming, eyes locked on Jensen while it moved and finally the alpha couldn’t take the sight of the thing anymore.

Darting forward Jensen feinted to the side when the feral reared up to meet him. Instead he slammed into the creature’s injured side and the feral went down like a house of cards. Jensen didn’t let it make another move as he rushed it, tearing at the wolf’s neck until his entire vision bled red and there was nothing but the scent of blood cloying his nostrils.

Finally when it looked like the thing wouldn’t move again he let himself collapse onto the blood soaked ground, panting with exhaustion while he watched Cougar walk away from the now dead wolf that he’d been fighting.

The entire corridor smelled like blood and death. The bodies of the six ferals that had attacked them was strewn across the ground and to Jensen it looked like a macabre Hansel and Gretel cookie trail. The thought made his stomach churn and Jensen shook his head to rid himself of the feeling while Cougar nuzzled at him. Though Cougar’s dark fur hid the sight of the blood from his battle, it didn’t hide the scent of it nor did it hide the limp that Cougar was trying to conceal.

Jensen shoved himself to his feet, licking at the place behind Cougar’s ear and beneath his muzzle where the smell of blood was the strongest as he waited for his body to heal enough for him to move without falling flat on his face. His chest burned something awful and he was pretty sure that several of his ribs had been broken in the second fight which this last feral had probably aggravated.

Snorting he pushed away from Cougar when his mate nipped at him. Cougar whined softly, his ears cocked towards the other end of the corridor and that’s when Jensen heard it, the low whimper of a cub and not even the tiredness that was still sweeping his body like a Tsunami could keep him from heading towards the sound.

*O*

Pooch panted as he slumped against the wall, glaring at the dead feral at his feet. He was going to fucking help Cougar kill the jackass who thought it was a good idea to group these things in one place. He’d almost lost his damn hand to one of them and he really needed that hand because how was he going to drive them out of the freaking stupid situations that Jensen kept landing them in without both hands?

Roque made a disgruntled sound from where he was sitting on the floor and Pooch glanced at him as the man flicked off something wet and very red that Pooch did not want to identify ever.

He must have felt Pooch’s eyes on him because Roque’s gaze flickered up to meet his, the amber of the man’s wolf still lurking at the corners of his eyes giving away how not pleased he was.

“That little fucker broke my leg., Roque groused as he prodded at said limb and Pooch grimaced while he watched the wound, that had been running from Roque’s hip to just beneath his knee, start to knit itself together.  Beneath the skin something bulged and shifted and Pooch figured that it was probably the broken bone, which Roque was complaining about, trying to heal.

“Don’t care how many times I see that shit, it’s still freaky as hell,” Pooch responded waiting until the wound was nothing more than a faint memory before offering Roque a hand up that the man took. His grip tightened for a second when Roque listed to the side but after a few seconds Roque seemed sturdier on his feet and Pooch released him.

“Come on, we’d better search and make sure that that cub isn’t somewhere down here.” Pooch suggested and the fact that Roque followed without complaint said just how the injured the man had been.

*O*

Michael had been in lots of fights and that was before he’d decided to take up the mantle as his brother’s second but he’d never fought with a wolf that seemed to know his every move and adapt to it. Not even Mark had worked so seamlessly with him and he found himself so distracted by the other wolf’s presence that he made mistakes that would have been fatal if not for his companion.

As it was he’d escaped the whole thing with only a jagged bite to the neck that had almost been his undoing. The wound was healing slowly and the blood oozing across his chest made his kin itch as his wolf pawed at the barrier between them, wanting to get closer to the other man. The whole thing made Michael feel jittery and unbalanced….it wasn’t a completely unpleasant feeling.

“You ok?”

The voice of the very man that he’d been thinking about drew him from his own mind and Michael nodded up at him as he rose from the floor. The wolf’s skin was littered with healing scrapes though Michael noted that the wounds from before were completely gone. There was a raw looking wound running across the man’s ribs and Michael frowned as he tried to place when the stranger had gotten the wound but the sound of the man clearing his throat snapped his mind back to the question.

“I’m good though I’d really like to get the option to sit out any more confrontations,” he admitted ruefully and the man snorted.

“You and me both, dude,” he responded, stretching while he tried to work the kinks out of his shoulders and back. Michael stared at him, trying to keep the move subtle but he guessed that the move wasn’t as covert as he thought because the man just shot him a sly grin that answered Michael’s question of whether he would be interested in getting into anything with a guy.  “You know, I never did catch your name,” he prompted.

“Jensen….I mean Michael, Jensen’s my nephew. Ok, that wasn’t right because my name is Jensen too and…..”

“Michael Jensen?” The guy guessed and Michael nodded not even upset that the guy had interrupted him because at this point he’d pretty much saved him from his own mouth. “Cool, you can call me Trevor and we’d better get moving. The faster we find that cub the faster I can get my wolf to settle down.”

Michael nodded again unsure of what to say and Trevor smiled as he shook his head before heading past the bodies towards the other end of the corridor leaving Michael no choice but to follow or get left behind.

*O*

It didn’t take Jensen and Cougar long to find the room where the cub’s whines were coming from. It was the last at the far end of the corridor and there was a considerable gap between it and the last feral cell which explained why the creatures had come towards them first. They probably hadn’t been able to scent the cub over their own scent and had simply come at them because they were closer….Cougar didn’t want to think of what could have happened otherwise.

The sounds stopped the second that Jensen stepped into the room and Cougar frowned as he scanned the small space. A single metal table ran the expanse of the far wall and the shackles attached to it made Cougar’s wolf bristle as he considered what they could have been used for.

There was a small cage at the other end of the room, though it was currently empty, its door hanging open as if it was just waiting to be used.

Something moved in the shadow of the cage and Cougar couldn’t help the small smile that stretched across his lips as he met a pair of amber eyes.

“Hey there,” Jensen crooned as he took a step closer to the still mostly hidden cub. “We’re here to help you, kiddo so why don’t you come out from there?” he coaxed.

The cub took a hesitant step forward just enough for the light from the corridor to illuminate its small form before baring its teeth at them. The warning growl that rattled from it was almost laughable but Cougar could see the marks of mistreatment in the way that it hunched itself in, trying to protect its head and he found that laughter was the furthest thing from his mind.

“Ok that really doesn’t sound like you want us to help,” Jensen muttered, keeping his tone soft.

Cougar stepped past his mate, kneeling a few feet away from the cub. Holding out his hand he waited patiently until the cub took another step forward, its nose twitching as it caught his scent.

Snorting the cub shook its head before stepping towards Jensen and Cougar could see the moment that it recognized them as kin because most of the rigidity fled from its muscles as it whined and the next thing he knew he had a lapful of fur…..fur that quickly changed into human skin. The shift alone was enough to shock him because the cub shouldn’t have been able to change fully unless it had never felt safe which he understood.

“Oh my God, naked baby…..ok, make that naked baby girl, Cougs!” Jensen spluttered and Cougar frowned down at the child as Jensen moved to kneel beside him.

The little girl couldn’t have been more than a year old and before Cougar could register anything else she reached out and grabbed the finger that Jensen was waving in front of her.

Two things happened at the same time; Cougar’s wolf howled as something clambered into his head, rougher and more aggressive than the connection he shared with his pack and Jensen, just as his own stomach twisted with a seeming unending sense of hunger and fear. The little girl in his arms jolted, her small frame shuddering as she clung to him and Jensen whined when the connection between them seemed to sag as the new bond wove its way into both their minds.

For a moment Cougar could see nothing while the child’s feelings overwhelmed his own, throwing his wolf into a state of panic that had him half-shifted before he even realized it. The moment that the bond was secured the feelings lessened and Cougar exhaled a heavy breath as he glanced at Jensen, who was in a similar situation; his skin was covered by patches of fur and the eyes that were locked on the child were pitch black.

Cougar followed his mate’s gaze and he started in surprise because while he hadn’t been able to look at the child for long before she’d hijacked his mind, he had noted that she had brown hair. Now the child was sporting dark hair that was curled much like his own and the blue eyes that met his own were an identical replica of the pair that Cougar saw in his mate’s face.

“Did she….?” Cougar trailed off unable to properly phrase the question especially when another demanding pulse of ‘hungry’ tore through his mind.

“If you were going to ask if we just got taken over by a mini-mind ninja then yes, that would be a definite yes,” Jensen responded but despite how blasé his tone sounded he was still staring at the tiny form in Cougar’s arms in awe and the way that Jensen’s fingers had curled around hers made Cougar’s wolf huff in pleasure. “Ok, look I’ve seen this shit in movies and the next thing that’s gonna happen is that we’ll get attached only to find that she’s got a ton load of family out there and then it’s going to break both our hearts to give her up and we’re sort of in the middle of a mission here we can’t just go around picking up kids even if she feels like….”

“Like she is ours?” Cougar filled in and Jensen nodded. “She bonded with us, she has no family.”

“You don’t know that and we haven’t even talked about a family,” Jensen protested but it was weak and Cougar was more than willing to fight for this.

“She needs us,” he rebutted, passing the child to Jensen, who accepted her immediately. “She smells like us now. No pack will take her.”

“Cougar…..” Jensen started trailing off when the child pressed her hands and nose to his face, scenting him like she would have done if he was her biological parents.

“We can do this, Jensen, por favor,” Cougar pleaded and Jensen glanced at him his own uncertainty clear in his eyes.

“I….” Jensen bit his lip as he stared down at the girl. “I’m not gonna win this one am I?”

“She would not have been able to bond with us if we were not both open to it,” Cougar pointed out and Jensen snorted.

“Ok, fine but you’re gonna explain this one to our parents,” Jensen whispered as he rose to his feet cuddling the child to his chest and Cougar rolled his eyes because he could see just how much his mate didn’t want the child.

Jensen must have caught the tail end of his emotion because the quick glare that he shot Cougar’s way told him that the blond was not amused.

*O*

It didn’t know why the others had gone but it was glad. The others didn’t feel like it did and they didn’t smell like it did….well none of them except one but it would not reach out to that one. It called that one the Dark Thing. The Dark thing was like it and yet was not. The Dark Thing smelled wrong in a way that made it try to hide whenever the Dark Thing came to its den. Hiding never worked because the others…the big ones, always took it out and let the Dark Thing see it but the Dark Thing never touched and it was glad that the Dark Thing didn’t because it did not want to smell wrong like the Dark Thing did.

But now the Dark Thing was gone and the others were gone. It was alone but the den was not closed like it was when the others left and it crept to the edge of the den and whined. Nothing answered just like nothing ever answered but it tried again.

There was no answer this time but it could smell something coming….more than one thing and they smelled right, they smelled like they belonged but it wouldn’t be fooled.

It hid in the shadow of the hard den and waited until the scent came inside, only then did it try to see them.

The new ones looked like the others, they were big but they did not wear the strange skin that the others did and it crept forward, making sure that they couldn’t see it.

One of the new ones tried to call it but it wasn’t going to go not if the new ones were going to do what the others did and it let them know that, raising its voice in a growl.

The new ones didn’t seem angry like the others got when it growled instead one of them made itself small and moved so that it could smell them.

It moved closer and scented them but there was nothing but good things in their scent and the smell drew it closer until it crawled onto the new one and made a new skin for itself like the one that the new ones wore. That made the bright new one talk even more but it did not understand, it couldn’t use the strange sounds that they did….instead it reached out because it wanted to speak to them in a way it had never wanted to do with the others.

Something moved inside it but it wasn’t afraid not even when the new ones changed and put on their right skin…not much of it but enough for it to know that they were like it. The thing inside it grew and grew until it felt like it was too much; it could feel its body changing as it pulled the new ones closer then with one final shove everything stopped and for the first time since its birth it was home.


	11. Chapter 11

Jodi ran beside Jolene as they patrolled the school grounds. Jolene’s chocolate coloured fur blending easily with the shrubbery as they darted in and out of the undergrowth while Jodi kept pace with her. So far they couldn’t smell any of the ferals on the grounds but Jodi and Carlos’ parents had insisted that they do secondary and tertiary searches….just to be certain. They wouldn’t disengage the lock down until they were certain that the cubs would be safe and Jodi understood that urge completely. God knows that she would have lost her damn mind if she thought for a second that any of those creatures could have gotten to Beth.

Up ahead Jolene howled and Jodi changed her path, heading for her friend. She found Jolene at the edge of the compound that ran behind the school, pawing at a gaping hole in the electric fence that bordered their lands. Jodi sniffed at the thing before snorting, she could smell a wolf on the fence but whoever had opened up the hole hadn’t been a feral though the person seemed to have been giving the ferals a way onto their pack lands.

Jodi yipped at Jolene who nodded in understanding, planting herself in front of the hole while Jodi raced towards the main building…..the alphas would want to see this.

*O*

Julio eyed the screens, unable to breathe easily until the last of the ferals was dead and Jensen’s team was still moving. Shifting away from the screens he glanced at the human. The man had been silently watching the battle with an unshaking intensity that said that this wasn’t the first time he’d seen fights like this.

A part of Julio wanted to ask the man how he’d come to be mixed up in all of this but another part….the part that wanted the whole thing to be over and done with so he could slip back into obscurity kept him silent even when the man shot him a questioning glance. The less he knew about any of this, the better his chances of returning to his own life when it was all over.

Stepping away from the table Julio began to pace the room aware that the man was watching him as he moved but it was either move or give in to his wolf’s need to go out there and help the men that he shouldn’t have any ties to.

As he moved something caught his eye and Julio paused, dropping to his knees without a thought before crawling beneath the table. The golden thing that had caught his attention turned out to be a folder and as Julio opened the thing he frowned, the expression darkening until his breath had changed into a low growl as his claws dug into the papers.

It looked like his option to stay out of the fight had just gone out the window because there was no way that he was going to stand aside while this happened. No, he would go back to his loner status after this was sorted because this fucker deserved to die.

*O*

Martina poked at the fence, rubbing her fingers against the newest hole that Jolene had found. Several others had been discovered around the compound and each of them held the same wolf’s scent.

Soft footsteps made her turn even as the now familiar scent that marked Jose washed over her. The man’s eyes were fixed on the fencing and when Martina stepped aside he took her place, examining the gaping hole before inhaling slowly.

“Can you track him?” Martina asked and the shudder that made its way through the other alpha, as fur erupted across the man’s skin, was answer enough but Jose still responded.

“Si, you should gather a hunting party.”

Martina nodded, pausing to glance back over the compound. Someone had dared enter her territory…their territory only to release the creatures that had haunted many wolves’ nightmares onto them. She was going to enjoy making him beg for his life before she extinguished it.

“Consider it done,” she responded, her voice soft but threaded with a steel that made it clear that she wasn’t planning a mercy hunt. This was the second attack against a pack in as many days and Jodi’s theory, of the attacker being the same person who’d taken out the Santiago pack, was still milling in her head. She needed to contact Jake to be sure of it but she wasn’t about to let this man slip through her fingers. They would remind these people of the wolves of old, the ones that made humans fear the night….she would show them what happened when they crossed their own kind.

*O*

Jensen juggled the baby girl in his arms as he walked. His wolf was on edge despite Cougar’s constant presence at his side because it was aware of the fact that the place wasn’t secure and that they now had a cub to protect. A cub that was smelling more like him and Cougar with each pulse of the new bond that she’d forged between them. The child in question seemed to have sensed his thoughts because she snuggled closer, large blue eyes flitting from his face to Cougar’s in a way that said that she was trying to make sure that their faces were imprinted into her memory.

“She is very small,” Cougar spoke finally and Jensen nodded because at one Beth had weighed much more than the child in his arms did. Then there was the constant feeling of hunger, hunger that was screaming through the connection even despite the underlying thrum of comfort that made him want to smile.

“I really, really don’t want to know what that sick bastard was doing with her or even where he got her from because we’re gonna fix all that, aren’t we, princess?” he cooed while he shifted her so that she could see Cougar without having to crane her neck. The move made her grumble even as she pressed her mouth to the skin of Jensen’s shoulder, gnawing unconsciously on the scarred skin.

Cougar eyed her in concern but Jensen just grinned at him before he stretched his senses out to make sure that there weren’t any more ferals lurking around.

“Don’t mind that she’s just rubbing her gums, I’m pretty sure that they didn’t give her teething rings in this place and while my skin isn’t exactly the cleanest place to rub her gums I’m not even going to try and imagine where the hell she’s been doing it before,” he babbled and the child cooed when Cougar reached out and ran his long fingers through her dark curls.

The sound of approaching footsteps made Jensen freeze, his grip on the child tightening when Cougar started up a low warning growl that said that anything that was considering creeping up on them really needed to consider its life choices.

The cub whimpered as she tried to burrow closer to his skin and the move made Jensen’s features ripple while the wolf tried to force its way to the surface, determined to protect their cub and mate.

The moment stretched on as the footsteps came closer and by the time that Jensen caught the familiar scent of his packmates he was covered in fur that quickly retreated when Roque and Pooch came into sight.

Pooch frowned at the three of them, his eyes lingering on the child and Jensen could see the way that his nose flared as he inhaled their scents. “The Pooch does not want to why that cub smells like your crazy ass. The Pooch doesn’t want to know because knowing means explaining this shit to Jolene and the less that Jolene hears about all of this, the better.”

Jensen just smirked at him, strolling forward and readjusting his hold on the little girl when she twisted to see where the new voices were coming from.

Roque was still watching them in awe….or maybe that was the look that Roque got when his mind literally couldn’t cope with any more surprises, Jensen wasn’t sure.

“Ok, so you know hoe Cougar and I pretty much got married overnight and that was good, right? Well we kind of have a kid now and that’s good too because Cougs wasn’t gonna give birth anytime soon and if I had to go mad scientist on him he’d kick me out of bed and you both know that I don’t do delayed satisfaction well…..”

“What the fuck?” Roque spat and Cougar glared at him while Jensen tried to shield the baby.

“Dude, watch the language around the kid,” he hissed even though the child in question was now cooing at the men, obviously unafraid either because of the bond or because she intrinsically knew that Pooch and Roque were really big teddy bears…..just the kind that came with huge teeth and claws.

“You bonded with the kid?” Roque asked again like he was making sure that his eyes weren’t lying to him.

“Yes?” Jensen responded and Roque sighed.

“I’m with Pooch….I don’t want to know and I ain’t explaining this shit to your sister either because she’s just as crazy as you are,” he muttered though he did shoot the kid what could pass for a grimace but what for Roque was actually a whole hearted smile. Then with a final sigh he spun on his heels and headed down the corridor leaving the others to follow.

“That’s your uncle Roque,” Jensen told the baby. “Beneath all that gruffness there’s an actual heart of gold and the other guy is uncle Pooch. Now he’s the sensible one so if he says no you go straight to your aunt Jolene. You don’t know her yet but wait until she meets you…..”

“You’re crazy, you know that?” Pooch laughed even as he held out a finger for the baby to grasp, smiling as she did so and when Jensen glanced at Cougar he couldn’t help but grin because maybe they were going to be ok.

*O*

“I don’t care how you do it but I don’t want these men to leave this country alive, do you understand me? Lock down their phones, find where the hell they’re staying and take them out or intercept them at the airport. I don’t care what you have to do, I just want them captured or dead,” Max snarled into the phone waiting for a confirmation before he slammed it down. If these wolves thought that they were going to win this easily then they had another thing coming.

He would burn them all to the ground before he let them leave alive. They were either going to go home in a body bag or not at all.

*O*

The safe house that Wade had set up for himself was close enough for him to reach in a few hours and as he pulled the van in the yard he grimaced. The cabin was dilapidated, to say the least, well the exterior was because the last thing Wade needed was for someone to invite themselves over while he was out of the country. The thought of someone trying to get by the traps he’d laid made him smirk as he stepped from the van, the expression changing into a grimace when the scent of wolf’s bane reached his nose.

There was a whole bush of the stuff growing around the cabin in order to discourage any of his brethren from sniffing around. So far it seemed to have worked because Wade could only smell his own faded scent lingering beneath that of the small creatures that had crisscrossed the yard.

He’d gotten rid of his phone before he got here because Max knew that after every mission Wade would vanish. He wasn’t sure what Max thought he was doing but Wade hadn’t stayed alive this long without picking up a few tricks.

Every job that Max gave him came with the added danger of discovery, something that ramped up when wolves were involved. That was why Wade never left witness because even someone who didn’t know what he’d been doing at a location could lead to his capture. People were strange like that, they remembered things that they didn’t even know that they knew. It was why this job had gotten under his skin.

Wade had planned that there would be no one left to come after him but not only had he failed he’d also managed to run afoul of one of the most organized packs he’d ever come across.

He didn’t know what the hell the pack had done to Max but now he was starting to understand the reasons why the man had told him to bring all the ferals and it sure as hell wasn’t just because of the pack’s numbers.

Huffing Wade headed for the cabin. The door creaked ominously as he turned the lock and forced it open. The hinges hitched while they moved, protesting his efforts but Wade didn’t ease up until the door opened. A wave of dust hit him like a slap to the face and he wrinkled his nose, turning his head to the side so that he could take a deep breath then with an expression that could only be described as determined he strode into the cabin. Moving on the single breath Wade opened all four windows that the cabin boasted, ignoring the way that the shutters hung loose like a strong wind would rip them from their frames.

Stepping away he looked around the dirty place. It wasn’t perfect by a long shot but he was going to have to lay low until he managed to make arrangements to get himself out of the country again.

He really did love the freedom that he got from working with Max but it was moments like these when he fucking hated the guy.

*O*

Julio glanced up as the door to the room opened and Roque strode in, followed by Pooch who held the door open for Jensen. Julio allowed himself a small smile as he caught sight of the little girl in Jensen’s arms before his expression shifted to a more serious one when he met Carlos’ dark eyes.

Jensen seemed to sense his mood because he frowned at him. “Look, I know the baby thing is kind of a shock but it can’t be that bad,” he offered up but Julio just shook his head.

“That is not it,” he sighed before glancing at the door when it opened again, admitting Michael and the other wolf, who’d finally retaken his human form. “This man he was doing more than simply making ferals. He was trying to make alphas.”

“What?” Michael demanded and Julio handed him the folder, turning his head away when Michael’s scent wove its way across his senses.

“I know enough to understand what I read,” he explained. “He was using those wolves as testers but they all became feral instead.”

“His name is Max.”

Julio started at the human’s voice, he’d almost forgotten that the man was there but now he turned to face him as he spoke.

“My team was sent to track down the wolves that had vanished and we ran into his trap. He wanted me to convince my superiors that we were attacked by the very wolves we were looking for in exchange for Trevor’s life and my own.”

“Ok…..” Jensen murmured. “Not that I don’t believe you….”

“Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Clay,” The man offered up and Jensen nodded.

“Right, that’s a mouthful so I’m probably gonna give you a nickname before this is all over,” he muttered. “You’re saying that this Max dude wants people to think that wolves attacked you….what the hell is he so human elitist?”

The Lieutenant shook his head. “He’s a wolf.”

Julio gaped at the man’s words and he was pretty sure that the others were in a similar state of shock because the records in the folders had held more deaths than he could stomach and the idea of one of their own kind turning against them like that made his wolf shift uncertainly.

“Clay, are you sure that this guy was one of us?” the other stranger, the one that the man he called Clay had named as Trevor, asked and Julio’s brows furrowed as he inhaled the man’s scent. It called to him just like Michael’s did but Julio pushed that thought aside to focus on the human.  

“That fucker wasn’t human though he acted like an elitist.” Clay admitted ruefully. “He even tried to make it out like you were the ones racist against your own people. He was painting a pretty nasty picture of the way that alphas were put above the rest of you…..”

Jensen snorted at that. “Put above my ass, clearly he’s never met my sister. The day that I tell her that I’m better than her is the day that I’d have to regrow all of my teeth.”

“Did he tell you why he wanted to create alphas?” Carlos asked and Clay shook his head.

“Right, I think we’ve got what we came for,” Michael cut in. “If this guy is one of us, he knows our weaknesses and he’s proven that he’s not afraid to go through us to get what he wants. At this point we need to pass on the information that we’ve found to the other packs before he comes after us again because I’ve met men like him and he won’t stop now that we know what he’s been doing here.”

Jensen nodded in agreement. “We need to get this little one checked out too so the faster we get out of this place the better.”

Julio remained silent as they helped the human to his feet with Trevor and Michael supporting him when he declined Michael’s offer of a piggyback ride. Roque and Pooch followed them as they left the room leaving Julio with Cougar, Jensen and the little girl.

Jensen’s fingers were flying over the keyboards in front of him as he held the child in his other hand and the demented smile on his face told Julio that this Max wouldn’t like what Jensen was doing to his system.

“You are angry,” Carlos said softly and while Jensen’s typing slowed, showing that he was listening to them, he didn’t disengage completely.

“That man’s work, he did it on only specific wolves, only loners that showed signs of alpha traits,” Julio responded.

“And you’ve got a theory as to why?” Jensen guessed, shooting Julio a quick glance before returning to his work.

“I think, and this is just a guess, but I think that loners may be leaving their packs not because they cannot build bonds like people believe but because they cannot build the bonds that the wolf thinks that they should be able to,” Julio offered up. “I often clashed with the alphas of my pack as I grew and many of the others that I have found said the same. Simple things that other wolves accepted as the alpha’s due would make the wolf lash out….it was as if it believed that it was being disrespected at every turn.”

“You think that loners are incomplete alphas?” Carlos guessed and Julio nodded while the sound of Jensen’s typing trailed off.

“It’s a damn good theory,” Jensen said as he stood. “The gene could be dormant in loners but it would still affect them to some degree…..I can’t believe that no one’s ever thought of that.”

“It would be difficult to especially since we aren’t a very forthcoming group,” Julio muttered ruefully.

“Yeah but it’s a theory that they can check out now and maybe they can activate it so that you guys can integrate into a pack if you want to,” Jensen answered as Julio opened the door and stepped through it. Carlos nodded in agreement and Julio offered them both a small smile, ignoring the cold feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach the moment that he’d read the file.

*O*

Getting out of the building was easier than getting in. The entire place was like a ghost town and though Jensen could smell several humans in the building, he didn’t stop the team because he’d already sent a rather helpful email to the authorities. He’d like to be the fly on the wall to hear how the humans explained the fact that they’d not only been aware of but had also actively participated in the experimentations.

The bodies of the ferals would be collected by the local pack as soon as the authorities were through with scene so that they could have a proper burial and it pained Jensen to know that he’d been unable to save any of them. It felt like he’d let Joe down and just the thought of his pseudo-mentor being turned into one of those creatures made his stomach churn.

His thoughts must have leaked into the bond because Cougar shot him a concerned look that Jensen ignored because right now he didn’t get to act like the world was falling down on him even if it was. He needed to liaise with the local council and pass on the information that they’d found because this guy wasn’t going to stop until they made him stop and now that they knew that he was targeting the loners maybe they could set up a system to provide them with better protection. Then there was the matter of his own pack. His wolf was already twisting itself into knots though he was pretty damn sure that the others could hold their own against whatever Max threw their way. Jensen just wouldn’t feel settled until he heard his family’s voice and he was pretty sure that the others felt the same way too.  

A tentative brush against his mind brought his attention back to the baby in his arms. Before he got caught up in all the red tape he really needed to get the little girl fed and clothed. Cougar was right when he said that she was pretty much theirs now because Jensen couldn’t detect a scent other than theirs on her skin and he knew that if anyone tried to separate them now they’d just cause her even more distress.

It was stunning the way that the very thought of not having the quiet child with him made his wolf snarl in anger despite the fact that they’d just met but the bond that she’d created with the two of them was just as binding as a mating bond. Hell, in some ways it was even more binding because the bond literally remade her so that she was truly their child even at a genetic level. Jodi claimed that it was all hocus pocus because no one could explain how something like that could even be possible but then again they were freaking werewolves so all sense of normalcy should really be put on pause before theories were made.

Shaking himself from his thoughts Jensen slowed as the others did. Michael had led them off the compound and though Jensen hadn’t been able to smell another wolf he hadn’t been able to release the tension that held his muscles rigid as they moved through the trees.

Up ahead Michael stopped in front of a tree, shifting so that Trevor could take Clay’s weight as he reached into the knot of an old tree and removed several pieces of clothing.

“Right, I’m thinking you’d better get our clothes or we’re gonna end up scaring the natives,” Jensen suggested and his uncle nodded as he pulled his clothes on.

“That’s probably for the best. I’ll take the Lieutenant to the local hospital first though because we don’t know how bad his injuries are and he isn’t going to heal like we do,” Michael reminded them and Jensen watched as Clay grimaced but when Trevor prodded him the man’s expression changed to one of pure resignation as he allowed himself to be hoisted onto Michael’s back.

“You know what hotel we’re in and we made arrangements for anyone listed under our names to pick up the keys so just check in at the reception desk,” Jensen told him, before glancing at Cougar who cleared his throat as he stared pointedly at the baby in Jensen’s arms. The sense of hunger surged through Jensen’s head again as the child noticed their scrutiny and Jensen winced at the strength of the message. “And bring milk or baby food because I’m pretty sure that this one won’t be quiet for much longer unless we feed her.”

Michael inclined his head in understanding before jogging off in the lightening woods.

Jensen watched him until he vanished from sight then he released the breath he’d been holding as he leaned into Cougar who had shifted closer while he was talking to Michael.

“I’ve got a really bad feeling about this shit,” Jensen sighed, watching as his breath rustled a few strands of Cougar’s hair.

“I don’t want to jinx it but it does seem too easy….not that the Pooch thinks almost having his hand gnawed off was easy but I don’t think this Max guy is just gonna back off,” Pooch murmured, his eyes glued on the rising sun.

“You jinxed this shit the moment you thought it was easy,” Roque growled but Jensen was aware of the way that the big man’s eyes kept scanning the trees around them like he expected someone to jump out from behind the bushes.

“Expect the unexpected, that’s what my ma always said,” Trevor cut in and Jensen glanced his way. The soldier was leaning against one of the smoother trees, his arms crossed as he watched their group.

“It is a good saying,” Julio responded, glancing quickly at the man before dropping his eyes to the ground. The action made Jensen frown because Julio was pretty vocal about his disregard of command structure and while Trevor did come across like an alpha it was almost impossible to guess unless you were familiar with the wolf’s scent. Either way it shouldn’t have affected Julio unless he was a part of Trevor’s pack or……the other thought made Jensen’s lips quirk though he managed to tamp down the expression. He’d noticed Michael’s reaction to Trevor and assumed that the man was compatible with his uncle but Julio’s reaction to Trevor was making the situation hilarious because it had been a while since Jensen had seen a three way mating bond.

Cougar elbowed him softly and the look that his mate settled on him made Jensen’s humour dissolve like salt in water as he forced his mind to focus on his team’s words.

“Look, if this guy is as batshit crazy as I think he is then yeah, I do think that he’s going to come after us again. What we need to do is regroup get the information passed on to the others then bring the fight to him because yeah he’s targeting loners now but how soon will it be before he starts going to the packs themselves for wolves to run his little Frankenstein experiments?” Jensen started. “The best defence is a good offense. I say we hit this guy where it hurts as soon as we can.”

“That could work or you could walk into a trap like we did,” Trevor murmured softly and Jensen tensed because he knew that the risk was there but they had no choice.

“We either go after him or we wait for him to turn more of our people into those things,” Jensen replied.

“What I don’t get is why men? Doesn’t this idiot know that women can be alphas too?” Pooch asked and Jensen shrugged because the thought was one that was nagging him.

“Female loners would be much more difficult to find,” Julio explained. “They tend to be bitches in every sense of the word. It’s rare to find them travelling with anyone unless they have children and they do not use the same communities that we do.”

“He uses opportunity to take the loners,” Cougar surmised and Julio nodded.

“Well I say fuck that because he isn’t gonna collect anything while we know what he’s up to. I don’t care if I have to create the wolf version of the amber alert, this creep isn’t gonna get any more of us,” Jensen growled and as the others fell silent Jensen let himself breathe, trying to ignore the prickling sensation crawling up his neck. It felt like there was a storm coming and it was headed straight for them but come hell or high water they were going to meet this challenge head on.

*O*

Jodi pawed at the ground watching as her parents took the podium beside Maria and Jose.

Martina stepped forward and Jodi glanced around as her mother stared out at them. The whole pack was still showing signs of fatigue and there were several wolves missing though Jodi knew that their injuries would heal soon. The others stood in both wolf and human form, their attention locked on the alphas in front of them and as her mother cleared her throat Jodi turned too.

Martina’s hair was pulled into a tight braid and her usual sky blue eyes were pitch black as she leaned on the podium.

“Today we were attacked. This wasn’t a war. This wasn’t a battle. It was an ambush. They expected to catch us unaware. They expected to find us weak but instead they found us as we were meant to be…..strong, fearless and loyal to our last breath,” she paused, her eyes sweeping the crowd. “Today we faced the things that haunted our nightmares. Today we stood beside men and women that we hadn’t know and we fought like a true pack. We drove back the creatures that gnashed at our heels; we held our ground even when some of us fell and we are here because we stood back to back and faced the things that they threw at us. Those of you who know about ferals know that this attack is something that should never have happened and we have found evidence to suggest that these monsters were inflicted on us by one of our own kind.”

A hush fell over the crowd at that and when Martina smiled her teeth were too sharp to be housed in a human mouth.

“They thought that we would fall but we are still standing and tonight we will show these cowards how true wolves hunt. Tonight we will bring this betrayer to his knees. Tonight the ground will run red with the blood of our enemy. Now I ask, are you with me?!”

The cacophony of howls and shouts that answered her words made the ground shake and Jodi raised her head, lending her voice to the hunting call. Her mother’s words were frighteningly similar to the ones that jensen had used in his speech but it showed how much of a true alpha her brother had grown to be. Jodi knew that in time the pack would follow Jensen just like they were willing to follow her parents now and she’d be damn proud to stand behind her brother every step of the way. Anyone who tried to take that opportunity from her would wish they’d never heard the name Jodi Jensen.

*O*

Michael slowed his jog as he came to the edge of the treeline. He’d kept the run smooth, trying not to aggravate any of the injuries that he could smell lingering beneath Clay’s skin. His stint as a medic on his team had taught him how to identify certain things and he could tell that Clay had several broken ribs and a light internal bleeding but none of the injuries smelled life threatening.

“We’re gonna have to walk from here on in. It’d be easier to make it look like I’m bringing my drunken and badly beaten up friend to the hospital than it would to convince anyone that a human my size could toot you around like you weighed nothing,” Michael told him as he knelt to allow the man to slip off his back.

“Thank fuck for that,” Clay groused. “I’m not saying I don’t appreciate the help but I felt like a freaking two year old being passed between you wolves like that.”

Michael snorted at the man’s words as he looped Clay’s arm over his shoulder so that he could support the most of his weight as they moved. Clay scent hadn’t held even the faintest whiff of jealousy that he usually caught when humans talked about their kind and it made him curious. Under any other circumstance he wouldn’t ask but since they were supposed to be friends, at least for their cover, Michael figured that an actual conversation couldn’t hurt.

“So you been running with wolves long?” he asked and Clay shot him a look from the corner of his eye.

“Long enough. I grew up with the Campbell pack,” he explained and Michael nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, I thought as much. Most humans say that they’re cool around us but they tend to forget that we can literally smell a lie a mile off. You didn’t even blink an eye at my form before. You only reacted when you thought I was the enemy.”

Clay hummed to hide his gasp of pain but Michael caught it anyway and readjusted his grip to take even more of the man’s weight. “Don’t have to worry about that with me. The higher ups keep saying that I tend to forget that I’m not a wolf. Personally, I think they’re just pissed off because I don’t play their mind-fuck games.”

“It sounds like the army hasn’t changed all that much since I left,” Michael laughed as they stepped out onto the street. “Our CO used to try and send me or my brother to negotiate terms with the brass. He liked to gauge their reaction when one of us flashed our teeth at them. I swear to God, it got so bad that we couldn’t even smile in the mess hall. The cherries were terrified of us but then again back then most people thought that we’d rip their faces off rather than talk to them whereas now they know that we’d more likely slit their throat just to prove that we don’t need claws and teeth to be fucking scary.”

“Sounds like you didn’t have a good time,” Clay prompted, his eyes scanning the few people who were already up and about. Several of them looked like drunks trying to find their way home while the others were either heading to work or they hadn’t been to bed yet.

“Not really,” Michael admitted. “It was hard enough learning how to take orders despite the fact that we were alphas. But when you added in the fact that most of the guys we were serving with kept waiting for one of us to snap and attack them…well it could have been better,” Michael chuckled ruefully. “But we did learn. We learned and we adapted. I’d like to think that humanity has as well.”

Clay nodded. “We can only hope,” he responded as the hospital came into view but when he went to take a step forward Michael’s grip tightened on his uninjured arm, hard enough to startle a pained grunt from him.

Michael’s eyes were locked on the people milling about the hospital yard, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled. There were three people who were obviously nurses or doctors. They smelled like antiseptic and the sour smell of sickness clung to their clothes but the other three men lingering at the edge of the courtyard didn’t hold that scent. Instead they smelled like the facility that they had just left behind…..it was an odd mixture of wolf and blood that made Michael wrinkle his nose even as he forced himself not to tense and draw their attention, instead he leaned into Clay so that the man could hear his whispered words.

“It looks like we’ve got company,” he murmured and Clay followed his gaze, eyes flickering over the men before darting away. “Max probably knew that we’d have to get you help.”

“Fuck that. I’ve gone to war with more injuries that these. If he thinks he’s gonna get a chance to kill me here he’s fucking insane,” Clay growled and Michael nodded, shuffling them over to one of the benches. One of the men glanced their way when they sat down but their obvious lack of concern made him look away.

“I could bring you to one of the local packs but I don’t trust them to not turn you over if Max threatens them. They haven’t been exactly helpful so far,” Michael told him as he leaned back on the bench, his pose one of extreme nonchalance. “Or we could go back to Jensen’s rooms and I could try and use something there to fix you up enough to hold until we get out of here.”

Clay snorted as he pushed himself to his feet, swaying in an exaggerated motion that suggested that he’d actively tried to drink Spain dry in one night. Michael had to bite his lip to hide his grin when Clay made a huge show of standing upright despite the injuries that Michael knew had to be hurting him.

“Option two it is,” Clay responded softly before starting on a loud rant about the evils of alcohol as Michael lead him out of the courtyard, all under the watchful eyes of the three stooges who watched their impromptu show in amusement.

Michael shook his head when they were out of hearing range. “You know there was a time when the dumb muscle used to be a bit smarter. It almost makes me feel bad for tricking them like that.”

“Well that makes one of us because anything that keeps my ass from getting caught by said dumb muscle is good in my book,” Clay responded tartly and Michael grinned because the guy was actually pretty damn snarky when you got past the grumpy exterior. Who knew maybe they’d end up friends after this blew over.


	12. Chapter 12

Cougar was the one that spotted Michael and Clay on their way back though that was mostly because Cougar was at the highest vantage point. He’d grown up around woods like these and as early as he could remember his parents had taken him on their patrols, teaching him that the trees offered protection and more than adequate hiding spots. The training hadn’t left his head just because he’d left the woods behind, which was why he’d been sitting on a sturdy branch with the baby in his lap. The others were running a short circuit through the trees, making sure that no one was trying to ambush them while Cougar and Julio had stayed behind to wait for Michael to return.

He tapped on the wood of the branch and Julio glanced up at him from where he was perched a few feet down. Cougar gestured in the direction that he’d seen Michael and Clay coming from and with a nod Julio dropped from the tree like a shadow. The man moved fluidly as he leapt from branch to branch until he was almost above the two men and Cougar frowned when Julio hesitated before leaping from the tree.

He’d caught Jensen’s thought about Michael, Trevor and Julio but Cougar was of the firm opinion that if it wasn’t broken then it didn’t need fixing so he was going to keep his nose out of their business unless it affected them all.

Cougar’s nostrils flared as he caught the scent of something that had become familiar to him when his cousins were born….the scent of baby formula and his mind flickered to the bag that Michael had been carrying. The baby must have smelled it too because she let out a little whine, the first audible sound she’d made since they left the horrible place where they’d found her though she had been keeping up a steady stream of her mental demands.

When Michael walked into the clearing Cougar secured his hold on the little girl and jumped. There was a mental squeal of excitement as he plummeted and when he landed softly with a bounce that transmuted into a steady stride he found his little girl, and just calling her that in his head made his wolf growl happily, staring at him with wide blue eyes a huge smile splitting her face. Cougar raised her up, rubbing their noses together in a familiar gesture that he’d learned from his parents as a child and he chuckled when she gripped his hair in her fists.

A moment later Clay and Julio appeared, the human looking a little better than before but Cougar was fairly certain that the man shouldn’t be up and about yet. Before he could voice his concerns Michael spoke.

“Ok, I have good news, bad news and news that really doesn’t make any sense,” Michael told them as he delved into his bag. “But first I’ve got food for the little princess,” he finished passing Cougar a full bottle of milk. “We’d better wait until everyone gets back before we tell you guys what’s been happening so go ahead and feed her,” Michael prompted.

Cougar stared at the man but another whine from the baby had him adjusting his hold on her so that he could give her the bottle which she quickly latched onto and for the next few minutes the sound of her feeding was the only one that shattered the silence.

*O*

Max frowned as he tried to access his systems. The Jensen alpha had locked him out but he doubted that the man knew more about computers than he did. When he tried to manually reset the connection he ran into what amounted to a brick wall. Layers on layers of code that were continuously renewing themselves locked him out of his login and Max’s frown devolved into a steady growl as his fingers flew across his keyboard. He’d be damned if he was going to…..Max froze when the screen of all his computers flickered, his screen page warped before being replaced by what looked like a laughing skull which cackled for a second and then everything went blank.

Max blinked once, then again, his eyes shifting to amber as he surged to his feet with a roar. Swiping his hand across his desk Max sent the three monitors flying. They were quickly followed by his keyboards when he upended the table. For several long moments the sound of glass shattering and his snarls of anger were the only things to be heard until Max stopped in the middle of his wholesale destruction.

He chuckled lightly, the sound rising as he bent bracing his hands on his knees while he gave way to the hysterical laughter that had been clawing at his throat for the past few hours. Finally with one last chuckle he straightened, wiping tears from his eyes as he cleared his throat, straightened his suit and strode from the room.

Pausing at his P.A’s desk he smiled at the beta. “I need my office cleaned and four new computers. I’ll be working in my secondary office until then and I need that done in an hour.”

“Consider it done, sir,” she responded with a nod that Max missed as he’d already turned away though the sound of her stern voice as she relayed his orders to someone else made him smirk because at least here things were going as they should.

Stepping into the other office Max quickly settled himself. He was a wise man, he hadn’t gotten this far without a certain amount of smarts and he knew that another attempt to access his main facility would prove troublesome. Instead Max turned his focus to something much more worthwhile.

Pulling up the information that he kept stored he located the blond….Jacob Jensen, heir to the Jensen pack and one of two children. There was no other information about the man so it probably meant that he’d been schooled and trained by the pack themselves but he was definitely the leader of the little group that had broken into Max’s building despite the presence of his uncle.

It took Max a few more seconds to locate the other men and his eyes narrowed at the loner status that had been assigned to the wolf that was only listed as Julio, no last name but his features said that he was Hispanic in origin. Max’s smirk grew into a full-fledged grin as he put a lock on the men’s passports. If they tried to leave the country he would know, that was if the team that he’d sent out didn’t locate them first.

*O*

Wade’s first move after securing his safe house was to ditch the van. It would have traces of his scent on it and if any of the wolves had been tracking him, it would throw them off his trail, at least for a little while. He drove the van until he found one of those perfect neighbourhoods, where there was a neighbourhood watch sign and everyone drove a soccer mom van. The sheer innocence of the place made him pull a face but it was perfect for what he needed.

Driving past the security gate several times, he memorized the shifts that the men seemed to be on and noted the section of the fencing that was covered in moss and vines at the back of the grounds, which would provide adequate cover for him. The plan was simple; ditch the van, get in, pick up another one and get out.

One last circuit of the place revealed the best spot for an abandoned vehicle. A few feet away from the neighbourhood what looked like the remains of an old playground that had been taken over by vegetation and wildlife provided a good hiding place for a vehicle of the van’s size.

Cutting the engines, he let the van cruise until it was hidden beneath the old monkey bars. Hopping from the vehicle he moved around, tugging debris down and over the van so that it was fully covered. Stepping back he scanned the area, nodding to himself when he could neither see nor smell anyone in the general vicinity.

Turning he headed back out onto the streets, following the sidewalk that would lead him right by the fencing that he needed to get over to get a replacement vehicle. A part of him actually hoped that the pack did send some of its wolves after him because the hours of inactivity had his own wolf itching for a fight but without any way to contact Max he didn’t want to risk it. He wasn’t just a stupid thug and he was well aware of his own limits. He could take on one or two of the wolves but he definitely wasn’t about to go up against the whole pack…at least not without his own army at his back and the fact that he’d seen what they’d done to what could be seen as an army of ferals didn’t make him think the odds were in his favour.

No, lying low was the way to go until he had more intel on the pack and that would have to wait until Max contacted him again.

*O*

Jensen’s circuit of the woods had revealed nothing but old scent trails and one annoying mongoose. All in all he was pretty peeved, mostly because of the mongoose. When he ran into Pooch he tamped down on the emotion because now wasn’t the time for him to be picking fights even though he knew that Pooch would most likely just break him into pieces verbally. Pooch was the only one other than him and Cougar that had family back home and the not-knowing was driving Jensen slowly insane.

“Please tell me that you found something better than a mongoose out there?” Jensen called in greeting and the cocked eyebrow that he got in response said that Pooch was once again questioning his mental stability but that was ok because Pooch always questioned his sanity. Jensen was of the opinion that it was how Pooch showed that he loved him. Kind of like the way that Roque always found a reason to handle his knives whenever Jensen was on a sugar high. Clearly his team didn’t get hugged as children and they were acting out now because the wonderful world of emotions was something scary and dark, where they were concerned.

“The Pooch didn’t see nothing but trees and that’s a good thing because trees aren’t gonna try and take a bite out of you.”

“You mean, unless they’re carnivorous trees then we’d all be fucked,” Jensen supplied helpfully, grinning when Pooch scowled at him.

“J, there are times when I wonder why my mama didn’t haul my ass away from you as a kid, that way I wouldn’t be infected by your crazy,” Pooch growled and Jensen beamed.

“It sounded plausible, didn’t it?” he teased as they made their way back towards the old campsite.

“All I’m saying, is that if I see a tree that looks like it has teeth I’m shoving your ass towards it because you say things and they happen, then the Pooch has to drag you out of whatever version of madness you’ve decided to make your own.”

Jensen snorted. “You know that carnivorous trees would be freaking awesome!” he protested but Pooch shook his head as they came into the clearing just when Roque appeared beside them, silent as a shadow.

Michael was back already but Jensen’s happy mood melted away when he noticed that Clay was still with him instead of in a hospital where he should be because humans tended to bleed a lot and heal…not so much.

Michael clapped his hands together before Jensen could say anything, capturing everyone’s attention. “First things first…clothes because I’m sure that we’re mentally scarring the Colonel,” he muttered as he dipped into his bag and handed them each some clothing, waiting until they were dressed before continuing as Jensen accepted the, now-clothed, baby from Cougar.  “Alright, good news first, I contacted the pack, they were attacked….” he paused at the instinctive growls that his words drew. “But everyone is fine, there were a few deaths but the pack held their own and that’s something because from what I gleaned from Becky there were a helluva lot of ferals running around out there. We stopped at the local library and faxed the info that we got to her and she’s gonna send it to all the other packs, just in case,” he informed them before his expression became somber. “The bad news is this guy has people everywhere, which is why I couldn’t leave Clay at the hospital. And it’s a damn good thing that we used aliases to register at the hotel because I don’t doubt that he’d have tracked us there too. At this point I’m gonna say that the airports are out because that’s the first place I’d target if I wanted to keep someone from leaving the country and this Max looks like he’s got his fingers in a helluva lot of pies.”

“Fuck,” Jensen hissed, rocking the baby when she made an inquisitive sound. “Ok, new plan is that we need a plan, fast because if we don’t turn up somewhere he’ll probably start combing the woods and if he’s got access to more ferals we’re screwed.”

“We cannot go to the packs. That would endanger them,” Cougar pointed out and Jensen nodded.

“Ok, so we’re pretty much on our own.”

“Not really,” Julio cut in with a smirk. “You forget that loners have moved around unnoticed without the help of their former packs for years.”

“You’re a sneaky fucker,” Roque laughed. “Kinda like this one…” he gestured to Cougar who shot him a disdainful look that wasn’t fooling anyone. “I like it. Let’s hear this plan of yours.”

*O*

Julio’s plan was surprisingly simple and at the same time damn difficult. They had to live like loners until they could leave the city which meant little or no contact with the packs or each other, which was where the hard part came in….at least for Jensen and Cougar. A new mating bond was surprisingly fragile whether it was spontaneously created or not and most wolves required at least a year to let the bond settle. The fact that they were in a constant sense of danger already had their wolves on edge and the thought of having to be out of sight of each other would just make the situation worse. Then there was the matter of the baby, one of the two of them would have to keep her at all times because it would look odd for a loner to have a child one day only to have it go missing on another. There was no guarantee that the other loners would notice but it was a risk that they couldn’t take.  On top of all that they had to figure out what to do about the Colonel because no matter how good a medic Michael was, the man needed to be scanned to make sure that he hadn’t missed something. The fact that the man was used to roughing it was the only reason why Jensen was agreeing to having them essentially split up.

“So are we just talking different hotels for a few days then we meet up and get the hell outta dodge?” Pooch asked and Julio nodded.

“By then this Max will have thought us long gone, unless he has more loners working for him and if that is the case then we would be caught even if we tried to help. There is very little that happens in this city that we do not know of and news of your presence would have been spreading from the moment I led you to Anthony’s hotel.”

“Basically you’re saying that if we run we’re fucked and if we stay put we just might get fucked so we’re choosing the lesser of two evils?” Jensen guessed, sighing when Julio shrugged in response. “Yeah, I’m definitely not liking this but I can see where it’s the only option we’ve got until we can get some more people over here and with this latest attack I can’t ask the pack to spare anyone. Not when we don’t know if Max is gonna make a second attempt.”

“I will keep the little one with me,” Cougar offered up and Jensen glanced at him but there was nothing but strong resolve flowing through the bond. “We could meet to let the bond have what it needs, then we would not risk our wolves becoming irritated,” he added.

“Still don’t like it but if it’s the best plan we’ve got at this point then ok,” Jensen sighed, leaning into Cougar when the man shifted closer and entwined their fingers.

“Trevor and I could get places close to Clay, that way I could check in on him, just in case any of his injuries are more serious than we first guessed.” Michael suggested and Trevor nodded in agreement.

“That sounds good.” Julio responded after a pause that Jensen was pretty sure had a lot to do with the fact that he hadn’t been invited into this little plan. “Loners rarely take notice of our interaction with humans; it is only when we return smelling like another wolf that they take notice.”

“But what if the wolves smelled like different packs….like Michael and you?” Trevor inquired and for a second Julio looked like a deer in headlights.

“Que?!”

“You said that the loners saw you with these guys so that makes you a live target. Wouldn’t it be better if you just lay low?”

“I…I could stay with one of Jensen’s team,” Julio stuttered but Jensen would be damned if he was going to let Michael pass up this opportunity because as far as he was concerned there had to be something wrong with his uncle’s nose or his common sense for him not to see what an obvious set-up this was.

“Nope, sorry, these two aren’t really the sharing type. You’re either gonna have to bunk down with Michael, Trevor or the Lieutenant,” Jensen cut him off.

“I don’t share,” Clay piped up and Jensen resisted pulling a face by sheer effort because how grumpy could one person be?

Michael glanced from Trevor to Julio and Jensen could literally see the moment that the light went off in his uncle’s head as the man’s nostrils flared. Thankfully he didn’t have to worry about Michael mixing business and pleasure because he was the one who’d taught Jensen how disastrous that could be. If anything Michael would most likely take the time to get to know Julio but at least it was a step in the right direction.

“You can share with me,” Michael offered and after a moment of hesitation Julio nodded.

“Ok, so that’s all sorted now we just need to find ourselves hotel rooms and pray that Max doesn’t have spies all over the place,” Jensen stated glibly but the way that Cougar’s fingers tightened around his said that his tone wasn’t as nonchalant as he’d hoped.

*O*

Jodi pushed herself faster and faster as the pack tore through the woods following Jose who drifted in and out of the darkness of the night like a shadow, his dark fur acting like a form of camouflage that turned the night into his own personal playground. If it wasn’t for the break of his footfall and the sound of his breath Jodi thought that they’d probably have lost him already.

Her parents were keeping pace with Maria and Jose easily, the shocking blond of her father’s coat making him stand out in the dim light from the quarter moon that hung overhead and instead of trying to chase down Jose, Jodi focused on keeping track of her father. By his side her mother’s slightly darker coat was also fairly visible but her movement was too erratic for Jodi to follow as she weaved through the trees, though several of the others on the hunt seemed to find her path an easier one to follow.

Around them the woods were silent, the night creatures retreating in the presence of the much greater predators in their midst and Jodi snorted, shaking her head as the need to howl welled up in her throat. She wouldn’t release the call though not until the alphas were certain that the wolf that they were tracking would not escape.

Up ahead, Martina snarled and Jodi skidded to a stop as her mother paced to the front of the group. The tree line thinned a few feet from the place where Jose stood, head raised as he scented the air. Jodi could hear the thundering of hundreds of hearts that meant that somewhere out there there was a settlement of people, most likely a residential neighbourhood if the fencing was anything to go by.

Jose pawed at the ground before padding out past the trees; his nose quivering as he crossed what appeared to be the end of a cul-de-sac and headed for a large construct that was covered in vines. For a moment he vanished from sight but a moment later he reappeared his nose twitching once more as he shook himself then took off again tearing into the night.

Jodi glanced back at the shadowy vegetable patch that Jose had been investigating before her mother’s low growl urged her forwards and she trotted forwards, breaking into a run as she wove through the others to take her place at her parents’ side.  

The best she could guess was that the wolf had tried to throw them off his scent. Jodi bared her teeth as she imagined the look of shock on his face when the pack turned up on his doorstep.

*O*

Max watched his screens keenly, smiling when he saw that the reservations made for a Mr. Michael Samuels had just been cancelled. His men at the hospital had reported seeing the older Jensen and Franklin Clay but Max had ordered them to stand down…all he needed was for them to know that he was aware of their presence in his town and they’d probably run scared….just like they were doing now.

Wade’s information about the pack had made him realise that he was approaching the situation the wrong way. This pack was cunning in a way that he hadn’t encountered before. They were trained to react logically like a single well-oiled unit which meant that he had to rid himself of all the expectations that he’d harboured. No, these wolves wouldn’t run scared when they knew that he was watching them….they’d do the opposite which meant that they would find somewhere to stay until the heat was off them. It was a good plan but sadly they didn’t realize just how much he’d integrated himself into the life and breath of the town. Nothing would happen in this place without him knowing and the only reason why they’d managed to slip in without his knowledge was because he’d been lax but he would not be as lax now.

He was still locked out of his systems at Facility A and while that did set him back a bit, not as much as it could have if he didn’t routinely transfer information between the Facilities and his office, he now had something new to look forward to. His anger at the group had given him a new idea of what to do with them when his men brought them in. He’d spent so much time trying to investigate how to recreate the alpha shift that he hadn’t seen the possibilities that lay in between his goal. After all something in the alpha genetic makeup was forcing ordinary loners into their feral state but there was much larger question lurking here, one that may not be as lucrative but could prove just as entertaining once he got the chance to thoroughly test it. And when he managed to get his hands on these wolves he’d have three alphas to play around with and he’d be able to finally answer the question of how the serum would affect a born alpha?

Smirking Max relaxed into his seat. All he had to do now was wait.  

*O*

Wade snapped awake, his senses spreading out as his skin prickled. He couldn’t detect anything, not a single sound out of place. Outside the night’s air was broken only by the sound of crickets and he couldn’t smell anything but the overwhelming scent of wolf’s bane that permeated the property but his wolf was a restless surge of energy beneath his skin. Exhaling Wade soundlessly rolled to his feet, stretching out the kinks that came from sleeping on the hardwood floor.

Striding towards the small window by the door he flicked away the dirty curtain to peer outside. The night was still, not one creature broke his line of sight and Wade frowned as he let the curtain drop back into place. Maybe his lack of sleep was finally catching up to him because despite the fact that wolves could survive on less sleep than humans it wasn’t exactly wise to push the limits but he’d been pushing himself harder than usual with Max’s increasing demands and his job didn’t offer that little perk called time off.

Shaking off the thoughts Wade glanced around the small cabin, all he had to do was give it two more days and then he was out of...

Wade froze when the sound of a low growl broke the semi-silence of the night, his own eyes bleeding amber as he spun in a tight circle to identify where the sound was coming from but before he could pinpoint it another growl rattled the air and this one was noticeably closer.

Wade’s eyes snapped to his duffle where he kept his guns because that sounded like more than one wolf and he didn’t believe in coincidences which meant that the pack had found him and the only way that he was going to get out of here alive was if he distracted them.

He stilled as the sound from outside died away before breaking into a run, racing towards his duffle with the supernatural speed born of DNA and desperation.

The window to his right shattered as a dark form hurtled through it and Wade turned just in time to take the full impact of the charging wolf in the chest. The wolf’s momentum sent him stumbling backwards and the moment he crashed to the ground the wolf was off him, skidding to a halt as it turned to face him, teeth bared in a snarl that had Wade hackles rising as the taste of blood reached his tongue.

Rolling to his feet he spat on the floor just as his door crashed in, letting several new wolves stream into the room while Wade rose to his feet. The mercenary bared his own teeth at the wolves as he let the shift flow over him. If he was going to go down he was bringing some of these fuckers with him!

With the thought planted firmly in his head he rushed the closest wolf, bowling the creature over as sharp claws dug into his fur. Howling in pain Wade tried to buck off the wolf that was on his back but it wouldn’t budge and the wolf beneath him used his distraction to latch onto his foreleg, sharp teeth tearing through the flesh until Wade could feel the bone of the limb crack beneath the force of the wolf’s jaws.

The injured leg buckled as the wolf twisted out from beneath him and Wade lurched forwards as the weight of the wolf on his back bore him to the ground.

Blinking through the haze of pain and blood that clouded his senses Wade watched as the group of wolves parted and four wolves prowled towards him. Their larger stature marked them as alphas and while a part of Wade’s wolf wanted him to show his belly to these leaders, he bared his teeth at them because fuck instincts he was going to go down like a coward begging for his life.

The dark wolf at the front of the pack stepped forward and the last thing Wade saw before everything went black was the anger etched into the alpha’s canine features before a large paw came flying towards his head and then there was nothing at all.

*O*

Finding a room wasn’t as hard as Jensen thought it would be. He’d gathered most of his belonging from the old hotel room that he shared with Cougar and he tried to tamp down on the wolf’s uncertain whine as their mate and new cub walked in the opposite direction. Julio had been right and even though it hurt Jensen knew that they’d garner more attention if they stuck together. He just needed to lay low for a few days and then they’d rent different vehicles and meet up on the outskirts of town. Hopefully by the then the pack would be in a better place to provide assistance but for now he was just going to have to suck it up and bear it like a man and not a wolf.

Smiling at the receptionist Jensen accepted the set of keys that the old man passed to him before trudging up the stairs to his room. If nothing else he could use the time to see what he could dig up on Max though he’d have to be extra careful now that the guy knew that they were onto him.

Stopping in front of his door Jensen opened it and slipped inside. Thankfully though the receptionist hadn’t been a wolf this was a wolf-oriented organization and unlike Anthony’s place the room held no scent over than that of the light Febreeze that had been used to clean the surfaces.

Locking the door behind him Jensen dropped his stuff onto the sofa before face planting into the bed.

Walking away from Cougar had been the one of the hardest things he’d ever done and even now there was a painful knot in his chest where the bond had pulled taut because of their distance. It would be at least a year before Jensen or Cougar would be capable of leaving each other for extended periods of time without causing discomfort.

Rolling onto his back Jensen swiped his hand across his face, rubbing unconsciously at his chest before pushing himself up into a sitting position. Moping around wasn’t going to help anyone right now. The faster he managed to get some info on Max’s whereabouts, the faster they’d know where next to go.

Starting up his laptop Jensen settled down to do some serious research because if nothing else it would take his mind off how much he missed a man and child that he’d only know for a limited amount of time.

*O*

Max grinned as one of his screens blinked. He’d left the office for a well needed rest and he hadn’t been pleased when he returned to see no evidence on the tracking programme that he’d set up but not now….it looked like one of the wolves was well and truly in his web and where one went the others would follow.

Picking up his phone Max dialled the number that his programme had supplied. It was helpful that the wolf had chosen one of his hotels to bed down in.

“Yes, sir?”

“I need you to get the description of a guest for me and if it sounds anything like any of the wolves that were identified on my systems then I want you to send in an extraction team. Completely human and I want this wolf alive even if they have to shut down the entire hotel and pump wolf’s bane into the ventilation system.”

“Understood, sir,” the beta answered and Max disconnected the call, tapping the desk as he stared at the blinking screen. All he needed was to get his hands on this wolf and then he was sure that the others would come running to rescue their packmate. It was almost enough to make him laugh but he’d already been surprised by this group so he wasn’t going to go counting his eggs before they hatched. No, he wanted this wolf in one of his isolation chambers before he relaxed until then this was still a game of cat and mouse that he was determined to win.

*O*

Cougar thanked the young bellhop who had helped him to his room when she noticed the baby in his arms. Shutting the door behind him Cougar surveyed the room, it was clean and tidy which was enough for him.

“Do you like it, mija?” he asked when the baby craned her head to see her new surroundings. She sniffed once before wrinkling her nose and Cougar could feel her prodding at the area of the bond where Jensen’s presence usually occupied before she made an unhappy sound. Sighing Cougar rocked her gently as he moved to deposit his bags on the floor beside their bed. “I miss him too but we will see him soon.”

Carlos wasn’t sure if the general meaning of his words had echoed through the bond or if she simply found his voice soothing but he was glad nonetheless when she settled down, one hand gripping his shirt while she stuck the thumb of her other hand into her mouth.

It was going to be hard enough to cope without Jensen, he didn’t know what the hell he would do if he had to shepherd her through her despair as well.

Shaking his head at himself Cougar frowned, he was to be the leader of his pack and here he was rolling in his own negativity like a surly cub. If his mother could see him she’d probably nip his ears…or worse. His mother wasn’t exactly known for her gentle technique though Cougar had needed a firm hand during his teenage years.

Making his way to the bed Cougar sat, cuddling the child in his lap when she made a disgruntled grunt.

There had to be something that he could do while he was here. He might not be as familiar with the area as he had been in his youth but he still had family scattered throughout the area. If he could figure out how this Max could get a loner like Anthony to work for him then maybe he’d be able to provide the team with some much needed information.

Grabbing a piece of paper from the notepad on his bedside table Cougar shifted the baby onto his other leg as he reached for the pen that was also lying on the table. If he could remember the phone numbers of some of the people that he’d known he could do his job and avoid detection just as easily as he could by sitting here doing nothing.

With a hardened resolve Cougar focused on the paper as numbers flickered in his mind’s eye.

*O*

Cynthia Lopez had worked for Max for three years and the most excitement she’d ever gained was the time when she’d had to leave her desk to assist with containing the feral that had made its way up to their floor but now the boss was giving her even more responsibility and maybe if she didn’t fail she’d get to out on missions with Wade. She wasn’t completely sure what Wade did but she guessed that it had something to do with the large number of ferals that she knew was kept in their other facilities. The betas in her division didn’t get to see the creatures much, probably because they were terrifying or maybe it was because the boss didn’t want to deal with them here, but every once in awhile they were shipped across and Cynthia got a glimpse or a direct encounter with one.

Shaking her head she focused on the description that the old receptionist had given her. Apparently it had been a slow week so the man remembered his new guest vividly, tall, blond guy with facial hair and a really strange pair of glasses. Narrowing her eyes Cynthia scanned the still that Max had sent to her. Most of the wolves were tall but there was only one blond and he did have facial hair. Cynthia let her gaze drift over the man’s naked body for a second before snorting….what a waste. The boss only collected wolves that were turning feral and this guy’s human form would be lost once the wolf took over fully.

With a sigh Cynthia picked up the phone and dialled the number for the extraction team.

*O*

Waking wasn’t always a good thing even though most people would disagree but Wade had been in enough tough situations to know that sometimes waking up was the most fucked up part of his day and right now that was his general consensus as he opened his eyes slowly. His body ached in a way that suggested that he hadn’t had enough times to heal from whatever injuries he’d incurred and the shackled binding him to the wooden chair he was seated on kept him from examining himself to see just what had happened. It was mainly a blur in his head, a haze of blood and pain that he didn’t want to remember but Wade could definitely feel the muscles in his arm knitting together slowly and he wasn’t too surprised because the wolf that he’d attacked had almost ripped the limb off completely. Blinking he glanced around the small room that he was in. It was a dreary space that smelled like mould and dirt, which probably meant that the place hadn’t seen much use. Despite the other smells the room was almost completely immersed in the scent of the wolves that had come after him and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess where he was….either a cell created for the wolves that didn’t toe the line or a storage room.

Grimacing Wade used his tongue to prod at his wisdom tooth, thankful to find the thing intact. He knew how this went, he was a prisoner of war as far as these wolves were concerned and all the human rights in the world wouldn’t stop them from ripping him apart to get the information that they wanted. There was no way that they were going to buy that Max had forced him to work for him because unlike humans wolves could detect bullshit from a mile away so that meant Wade had to fall back to Plan B…..he really hated using Plan B.

Locking his jaw Wade used the tip of his tongue to uproot the false tooth, making sure to not swallow yet. The chemicals enclosed in the small frame would be enough to keep the pack from getting anything out of him but only if he used it right.

The sound of footsteps moving towards him made Wade’s lips twitch with the urge to smirk as he bit down on the tooth. The liquid that gushed from the capsule was cold….almost freezing cold and Wade gagged as it slid down his throat, his body fighting the very thing that was his last salvation.

His muscles went rigid the moment that the substance hit his bloodstream and Wade gasped, trying to draw air into lungs that were slowly shutting down. His heels drummed against the concrete floor and dimly he felt the chair topple, slamming him against the ground but his vision was already greying even as a number of people rushed into the room……Plan B was going perfectly.

*O*

“What the fuck just happened?” Martina demanded as she paced in front of the cell that had just moments ago housed their prisoner. The wolf had been dead the moment he hit the floor, leaving nothing but a foamy residue around his lips as an explanation for his death.

“It looks like he used a fake tooth,” Michael commented and Martina barely resisted the urge to yank on her hair as her wolf snarled its anger at losing the man who’d almost killed her pack!

“He was desperate, did not want us to know what he did,” Jose guessed and Maria nodded in agreement.

“Which means that he knew a lot,” she pointed out, her dark brows furrowed. “Now that we know that the same man who killed my brother’s pack is after our own it makes sense that he would not wish for us to have any more information about his work.”

Martina sucked in a sharp breath. “Right, ok. We’re at a roadblock at the minute and I think the only way for us to go forward is to find out what else the team dug up, until then we’ll just be clutching at straws.”

“We need to send that wolf’s body to the registry,” Michael reminded her softly and Martina growled.

“If was up to me I’d burn the fucker right here and now. Screw an unmarked grave and a pretty little ceremony; he was a damn traitor to our kind!”

“Be that as it may, we’ve got to follow the rules, Mar. if we don’t we’re no better than this Max,” Michael responded and Martina watched him as he turned and walked away, shoulders unusually tense but considering her own mood he couldn’t blame her mate. After all their son was being targeted by a man that others would die before they betrayed. She was worried too….hell, she was fucking terrified but she’d claw her own eyes out before she let this bastard break her. No, Max was going to die and it might not be by her hand but she was going to do everything she could to make sure of the outcome.

*O*

Jensen rolled onto his stomach and snorted in his sleep. Snuffling into his pillow he growled as the tickling sensation filtered into his nostrils again. His dreams were clouded like a foggy lens had been cast before his eyes and the constant stream of information that he’d gain the day before faded into little pieces floating past his mind’s eye as something made his skin stand on end.

Flopping onto his back he tried to open his eyes, only to find himself unable to complete even the simple action. His body felt weighted like a four hundred pound weight was sitting firmly on his chest and Jensen gasped, his fingers trying to claw at his throat when the air he sucked in was less than he needed but his hands wouldn’t move.

His wolf snarled, trying to lash out at the thing hurting them but their human body was failing unable to fight against the unseen combatant and as Jensen faded into the darkness the last thing his senses detected was the sound of a door opening.

*O*

Cougar gasped awake, clawing at his throat as he gulped down several breaths of air but despite the ease with which the oxygen flowed into his chest, he couldn’t stop the pounding of his heart. His skin felt clammy, like he’d been for a run and when he held his hand in front of his face the tremors that shook his fingers made him frown. His padres had trained him to fight with guns as well as claws and his control over his hands was the reason why he’d often preferred long distance shots….if he’d been a human he would have taken up a job as a sniper but as the heir of his pack he hadn’t needed the skill. But now he wouldn’t have trusted himself with a gun if it was the only way to save his life.

Rolling onto his feet Cougar glanced around the room, his senses spreading to find what had woken him but there was nothing out of place. The little one was sleeping on her stomach, her face scrunched into an angry snarl as she shifted in her sleep and the simple act made Cougar’s frown deepen as he reached into the bond…..what he felt made him freeze. Jensen’s side of the connection had been hazy since they’d separated the day before but now instead of the static like feedback that Cougar had been feeling there was nothing.

Carlos inhaled slowly as he reached even further pushing his mind beyond its limits as the wolf tried to search for their mate’s presence but there was still nothing. He felt like he was falling into an abyss and as the wolf pressed further the darkness rushed up to greet him then a spark. Cougar reached out and latched onto the thing hauling it to his side of the bond and his heartbeat doubled at the single sensation that Jensen’s mind had left behind…..fear.


	13. Chapter 13

The air around him felt heavy when Jensen woke and it took him awhile to realize that it wasn’t the air that was keeping his body down, it was the manacles shackled around his wrists. The room he was in was bright, so white that it made his eyes hurt and yeah he definitely wasn’t in Kansas anymore so he’d better not be wearing red, ruby slippers. He doubted that he’d be able to pull off that particular fashion trend.

Narrowing his eyes he let his gaze dart around the room even as he worked his hands within his confines, testing the strength of the metal that kept him restrained. He didn’t know how the fuck he’d gotten here but he knew it had something to do with the waking nightmare he’d been experiencing before he passed out.

His wolf surged beneath his skin, and he could feel the urge to shift growing but before he could release the impulse a sharp sound shattered the stuffy silence making him wince as it registered on his enhanced hearing.

“It’s nice to see that you’ve chosen to join us, Mr Jensen, for a while there I thought that you would sleep through the entire procedure.”

“Max,” Jensen snarled, baring his teeth as he turned his head towards where the sound was coming from. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the small camera in the corner of the room. “You know what? When I get out of here I’m gonna wring your fucking neck!” he spat but Max just chuckled, the sound  rolling over Jensen like a cold bucket of water and he reached out instinctively reaching for Cougar. The surge of panic that he got back made his wolf snarl as he tugged against his bonds.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Max singsonged and Jensen paused just long enough to shoot the camera a sharp glare.

“Yeah, well the last time I checked I wasn’t a murdering coward of a wolf so you can cross that possibility of your list of people who you might be. Maybe you should check under the names ‘Cockroach’ or ‘Hell spawn’ those fit your personality way better,” Jensen snarled as he yanked one hand free ignoring the flare of pain that came when the skin of his wrist tore, the blood lubricating the metal enough for his hand to move.

“Well this time you might actually want to listen to what I have to say, seeing as you currently have twice the dose of the serum that I manufactured flowing through your veins. It has a nasty habit of turning ordinary betas into ferals but you presented me with the unique opportunity to observe what it would do once it’s introduced into the system of an alpha wolf,” Max purred and Jensen froze, his fingers stilling where they’d been prying at the other manacle.  “There is also the case of your friends. You see, Mr. Jensen it was just as easy to find where your uncle was as it was to find you and I can just guess how they’ll react to the little note I left them.”

Jensen turned his head slowly, the normal blue of his eyes bleeding to amber that was chased away by the ebony that came flooding across his eyes.  “If you hurt any of them I am going to kill you slowly, do you hear me you fucking piece of…..”

“Temper, temper,” Max tssked. “My studies have found that anger and desperation accelerates the serum’s effects and you wouldn’t want to deprive your friends of the honour of watching you become the very thing they helped you destroy, do you? I wonder how long they’ll try to keep you alive before they give in to the inevitable.”

Jensen closed his eyes, focusing on pushing a measure of calm down the bond but the layer of static was back again and he knew that Cougar couldn’t feel him just like he knew that Max was telling the truth about the serum but he’d be damned before he gave the man the satisfaction of seeing him break.

*O*

Carlos wasn’t one to panic, he had gained a level of calmness from his father that his mother never hoped to achieve but as he sat on the bed with his hands clenched into fists all of his famed calmness went right out the window. His wolf was twisting itself into knots, snapping at shadows and every scrap of sound that drifted through the window made him flinch, reaching out mentally on the hope that this time it was Jensen as he tried to convince himself that the darkness at the corner of his mind was nothing but his own overactive imagination playing tricks on…….

The ringing of a cell phone broke Cougar from the morbid cycle of his thoughts and he dove for his bags, digging beneath the layers of clothing until he found the burner phone that Jensen had bought for them before they left the States.

“Hola?” he greeted, praying to any God that would listen that the voice he heard would be that of his mate’s.

“Carlos, we have a situation.”

Michael’s voice made Cougar’s blood run cold because while he knew, knew that there was nothing that would make Jensen shut him out of the bond like that, which meant that whatever had happened was serious enough to force his mate to shut down their connection either voluntarily or otherwise.

Michael seemed to take his silence for permission to speak.

“A loner just delivered a note to the receptionist….it’s from Max he says he’s got Jensen and even if he’s bluffing we know now that he’s been keeping closer tabs on us than we…..”

“He has him,” Cougar cut him off, his eyes narrowing as his wolf roiled with anger. “What did the note say?”

Michael was silent for a moment. “He wants us to come to one of his buildings and trade ourselves for Jensen.”

“All of us?” Cougar whispered.

“He mentioned everyone except Julio by name….he even mentioned the baby.”

“Hijo de puta,” Cougar snarled as he turned and glanced at the little girl. “We will not bring her, Jensen would never agree with that.”

“I know,” Michael responded. “I figure we can get one of the packs to keep her for us and contact our pack before we go.”

Cougar nodded although Michael couldn’t see him. “I will meet you at the hospital in ten minutes then we will show this cabron who he is messing with,” Cougar promised, his voice harsh with his barely concealed fury.

*O*

Julio watched as Michael hung up the phone. The man had grown more agitated as he tried to contact all the others and there was nothing that Julio could do but watch despite his wolf’s urging. It wasn’t like that between them no matter how good Michael smelled or how much he wanted to reach out and rub away the frown lines that seemed etched into the man’s face. Instead he’d fallen back on the habit that he’d learned when he’d had a pack of his own….he’d stayed silent and still until Michael seemed to forget he was there. The man didn’t need the distraction not when this Max person had his nephew.

Julio dropped his gaze to the floor, his stomach churning at the thought of what could be happening to Jensen right now.

“You know when he was a kid he used to tell me that if he had to die he wanted to go out with a bang,” Michael chuckled bitterly and Julio glanced at him but the man’s back was turned to him as Michael stared out the window.  “It’s a fucking morbid thing for a ten year old to say but I could see that he meant it. Even then the only thing he wanted to do was protect the pack but he wasn’t stupid, he looked up the statistics and statistically wolves on the front line tend to have a short lifespan. I told him…I said ‘Jake, there is nothing that would let me stand aside and let that happen’ I said it then and I meant it,” he breathed glancing over his shoulder. “Max didn’t ask for you. You can leave but I have to go after him.”

“Jensen is my friend,” Julio responded as he straightened in his seat. “I will not leave him behind.”

Michael stared at him for a long moment before snorting as he shook his head. “You’re a good man, Julio.”

Julio glanced at the window unable to meet Michael’s eyes because he’d done things while he was trying to live on his own, things he wasn’t proud of. “No I am not,” he admitted with a shrug. “But I want to be. This is why I will take the child to my old pack….they will not say no if I ask for asylum for her.”

Michael frowned. “But they’ll know where you are. You’ll have to move again, if we survive this.”

“If we survive this I will be beyond hiding. Max has proven that it is not safe for loners anymore, I cannot go back to living that life,” Julio whispered, a bitter smile curling his lips. “Perhaps if what I theorised is right then we can fix what is wrong with us, whatever it is that makes it impossible for us to be with a pack,” Julio paused, his gaze shifting to Michael’s. “Wolves are not meant to live alone and I have grown tired of being lonely.”

*O*

Jensen grabbed the metal table, his claws digging into the material as tremors wracked his body. It felt like he was being cooked from the inside, like his organs were being heated to the point of exploding. His vision blurred, bleeding to grey before realigning so sharply that it made his eyes water as he gagged, trying to expel the bitter mucus that lay heavy on his tongue. But when he turned his head and spat, the liquid on the ground was red and the metallic scent that it carried told him that it was blood.

His wolf had started up a constant whine at the back of his head that made his ears ring even though the sound wasn’t physical. The bond was twisting like a live snake, his disorientation pushing him to search for the anchor that was Cougar but there was nothing there now. Nothing but a gaping hole of darkness that threatened to swallow him whole and as another pulse of pain made his entire frame shudder Jensen wondered if it would be better to just give in the seductive nothingness that was lurking just within re……..

“Mr. Jensen, I would ask how you’re feeling but it appears that you’ve entered the first stage of the change.”

Max’s voice made Jensen want to bare his teeth but even that seemed like too much effort when just breathing was sapping him of energy.

“You know I expected something different considering that you’re a big bad alpha but it seems that you bleed just like every other beta out there,” Max continued in the same silky tone almost as if he was reading the morning paper.

“Y-you know what?” Jensen choked out, pausing as his muscles spasmed when another wave of pain slammed into him. “Every time I think that I hate you, you open your mouth and I realize that I can actually hate you more.”

“Tut tut, such harsh feelings and here I was going to be nice and let you have access to one of your group for comfort, that is until you feel the overwhelming urge to rip their head off,” Max taunted and Jensen could hear the smirk in the man’s voice. “You see I was thinking why would two packs be occupying the same land unless they were merging and how better to merge two packs with alpha heirs than to arrange a mating?” Max mused. “I have often heard that mates can serve as an anchor of sorts if the wolf ever gets out of control. How long do you think that Mr. Alvarez will be able to keep you civil when the change starts to take you? Maybe a few minutes, hours, days? How long before you forget that fragile little human emotion called love and…..”

“Shut the fuck up!” Jensen roared, the sound rolling through the room like a tidal wave as the muscles shifted beneath his skin.

“Temper, temper, Mr. Jensen, after all we wouldn’t want you to change completely before your friends get here,” Max laughed and Jensen snarled when the intercom shut off leaving him with his thoughts and the nerve wracking pain.

*O*

Wade coughed as he woke on the cold metal gurney. The woman standing over him wasn’t familiar but the fact that she didn’t startle meant that she was knew of him and was on Max’s payroll, just like most of the wolves who worked in these centres in any country that housed one of the boss’ Facilities. The woman silently passed him a glass of water before leaving him alone and Wade sat up, swallowing the liquid to wash the foul taste of the liquid from his mouth.

Max had created Plan B as a way to ensure that Wade would come back….not that Max cared but he knew that the boss didn’t want to pay money to train up another mercenary to Wade’s calibre. There was nothing sentimental about Max’s decision to not let the rest of his betas know about the capsule because whereas when Max sent Wade out he expected him to come back when he sent the others out he didn’t want them to.

Huffing Wade forced himself in a seated position, ignoring the weakness of his limbs because this was one of the side effects of the capsule. It shut down all the organs to the point where detection wasn’t even possible for wolves then policy would force any pack to send him right here where he would wake up and walk away…..a walking, dead man. It would probably make a good title for his tombstone when his little parlour trick didn’t work because his luck would run out someday…that day just wasn’t today and it felt good to be alive.

*O*

Carmen Santana stood at the edge of her pack lands and watched as the son that she hadn’t seen in years walked towards her with a baby cuddled in his arms behind him five wolves and six men stood, silent sentinels observing the reunion that Carmen never thought would happen. The day that Julio had registered as a loner and walked out on their pack was one of the worst days of her life but she’d done so much wrong that she didn’t even have the right to try and stop him. Now he was here, a grown man who no longer needed her and it made her wolf whimper.

Julio stopped a few feet from her, his grey eyes calm.

“Alpha Santana, I wish to claim asylum for this cub until the Jensen-Alvarez pack is able to send a representative to claim her.”

Carmen flinched at the title but she held her head high. “Your request is granted…..is there anyone else that you wish to seek asylum for?”

Julio stared at her for a long moment before a sad smile spread across his face as he handed the sleeping cub to her. “No, that is all and we thank you for your help,” he responded, spinning on his heel and striding towards the others.

“Julio…..” Carmen’s voice made her start but she couldn’t just let her son walk away again…not like this. Julio stopped but didn’t turn around and Carmen realized that this was the only concession she would get from him. “I know that I was not there, not like I should have been but if you want to come back…..”

Julio turned and for a moment the sun made his eyes seem black but it was gone before Carmen could react. “Gracias, mama, but I can’t.”

“I understand,” Carmen responded watching until Julio re-joined the group of men before she turned and walked back to where her pack was waiting.

*O*

Jodi was going to kill her brother, that was why she was standing in the middle of an airport in the dead of night surrounded by several members of her pack, her dad and Jose. It was all because she was going to fucking kill Jensen for getting himself into this mess and she swore on everything that was holy that if this bastard had hurt him…..shaking her head she chased the thought away because Jensen was fine.

She was going to get there only to find out that they had things sorted and that this Max person was either dead or in custody…that was what was going to happen because the thought of the alternative made her want to howl her despair.

Focusing on the overhead screen that claimed that they had ten minutes to board, Jodi clung to that hope.

Jensen was fine.

*O*

Jensen curled in on himself as his ribs shifted, cracking like they were preparing his body for a shift but Jensen knew that he couldn’t let himself do that…not now. Whatever Max had injected into his bloodstream was making his wolf go mad, snarling and snapping at the shadows in his head even as Jensen clung to his humanity because he couldn’t give in to the wolf’s growing delirium. He had to hold on, if not for himself…then for Cougar and their cub, he couldn’t let himself become that thing, couldn’t give in no matter how much he wanted to.

Another wall of pain slammed into him and Jensen gritted his teeth as his body arched without his permission, his heels drumming at the floor while his organs shifted without any sense of direction. It was like his entire body was going haywire and Jensen had long ago lost the ability to tell whether the wetness on his face was from the sweat that was pouring from him or whether it was tears.

For a moment the pain abated and Jensen slumped, the tension bleeding from his muscles. The clock on the wall said he’d been here for seven hours but to him it felt like an eternity.

Jensen closed his eyes as he felt the familiar prickling sensation that meant his wolf was going to try to force another shift….he just needed to keep fighting because if he gave in to the seductive rage that was fuelling the wolf he’d lose himself completely.

*O*

Cougar stared at the building in front of him. They’d followed Max’s directions but it had still taken them two hours to get here and if he counted back from the moment that he’d felt Jake’s presence leave the bond then Max had had his mate for over eleven hours. His anger must have showed because Clay glanced at him.

“I can’t say that I know how you feel but if you go in there with your mind clouded this man will eat you alive,” the Colonel whispered and Cougar nodded in understanding. The man’s words were wise but they were easier said than done.

“We stick to the plan, no matter what happens,” Roque reminded him and Cougar inclined his head at the man before stepping forward.

This building was nothing like the old warehouse….in a way it reminded Cougar of the Enforcer’s HQ and the irony made a bitter smile twist his lips because Jensen would go crazy if he ever made the comparison to the man’s face.

There were two betas posed in front of the gates but as the group approached they didn’t engage them instead the taller of the two pressed a button and the metal gates slid open.

Carlos held his head straight as he marched towards the building where a wolf dressed in an elegant suit was waiting for them.

“Gentlemen…..” the man greeted, his eyes flickering over them and the familiar voice made Cougar want to snarl because this bastard was Max, the person who’d killed his family and taken his mate but he knew that he couldn’t make a move against the beta. Max held all the cards and they would have to play his game to win. “You seem to be missing a couple of people.”

“I will not give her to you,” Carlos snapped and Max wrinkled his nose, sighing like Cougar was a disobedient child.

“I don’t think you fully understand the situation that you find yourselves in Mr. Alvarez….I will find the child and your missing teammate, it’s just a matter of time,” Max responded as he turned his back on them, gesturing for them to follow him. Cougar had to inhale to stop himself from reaching out and just snapping the man’s spine….it wouldn’t kill the bastard but it would be hell to heal.  “As for the little loner I allowed him to go free but I might just need another test subject soon.”

Out of the corner of his eye Cougar caught the way that Michael and Trevor tensed at the mention of Julio but thankfully neither man’s scent gave away their feelings.

“Where is Jensen?” Cougar demanded.

Max paused, a slow smile stretching his lips. “You will see soon enough, Mr. Alvarez. After all I’m not a monster; I would never keep mates apart.”


	14. Chapter 14

Jensen pressed himself to the wall as the door to the room slid open. There was a steady thrumming in his head and the taste of his own blood coated his tongue where his fangs had torn through the flesh of his lips. The wolf was silent now but no less present, it was watching everything with him and after he’d almost ripped the door off trying to get at the last person who’d walked past it Jensen realized that if his rescue did come, it would be too late. Every beat of his heart felt like another shred of his humanity was being stripped away and he could almost smell the humans lurking in the building….them and the wolves but the slow beat of the human heartbeats made him want to tear the walls apart to get to them. The scents of the wolves just made him want to rip and tear until there was nothing but blood and bone.

The image made him snarl, the sound trailing into a low growl when someone stepped into the room.

Jensen prowled in the shadows until he was close enough to smell this new person.

The familiar scent made him fling himself away from the door, his claws skidding on the tiled floor as he darted out of the bright light that illuminated the middle of the room while the last part of his humanity raged against the thought of hurting this person…not this person, anyone but him!

*O*

Cougar glared behind him as the beta who had led him away from the room, where the others had been left, shoved him into an even smaller room. His anger momentarily distracted him but when he focused he realized that the room was permeated with Jensen’s scent and yet beneath the familiar smell there was something else there, something odd and distorted that didn’t smell like his mate.

Movement out of the corner of his eye had Cougar turning as something shifted in the shadows and Cougar growled a warning even while he reached for Jensen through their bond. What he felt made him pause because the bond was telling him that Jensen was close, that Jensen was in the room with him but Jensen didn’t feel right just like he didn’t smell right.

The presence in the bond was darker almost….feral.

The thing shifted again this time skirting the gleam of the overhead light as it dove for another patch of shadows and Carlos frowned when he caught sight of a glimpse of blond fur before the darkness swallowed up the creature leaving nothing but the impression of its shape.

“Jensen?” Cougar called as he took a step towards the thing but a snarling growl made him freeze.

“I’m afraid Mr. Jensen isn’t in the best mood for company.”

Cougar glanced up at Max’s voice, his eyes flickering back to the shadows when the creature stepped forward.

Jensen’s body was mostly caught in its alpha form, except for his face though the canine feature of his wolf had twisted his jaw, jutting it forward to leave space for the sharp teeth he was sporting. Pitch black eyes regarded Cougar and he fought the urge to shiver because this wasn’t Jensen. Jensen didn’t look at him like he was prey.

“C-Carlos,” Jensen forced out, the look in his eyes shifting when the familiar blue resurfaced and for one quick moment Cougar could see nothing but anguish before Jensen’s eyes were once again overwhelmed by the pitch black of his wolf.

“Jensen, what…what is wrong, amor?” Cougar asked but when he took a step towards the wolf Jensen flung himself backwards pressing against the far wall.

“Don-don’t.”

“You should listen to your mate, you see Mr. Jensen is in the final stages of the feral transformation though as you can see his alpha status has somewhat changed the disease,” Max cut in and Cougar snarled at the sound of the man’s voice.

“What do you want?”

“Me?” Max snorted. “There is nothing that I want that you are able to give me, Mr. Alvarez….nothing other than the opportunity to observe just how a feral alpha would react. By my estimates you have twenty more minutes before the serum spreads to his brain after that he will be nothing but a mindless monster so I would say my goodbyes now after all you won’t be able to when he’s tearing your throat out.”

“W-wont,” Jensen gritted out. “Won’t h-hurt Cougar,” his body curling in on itself as he pressed himself to the wall. “Do-don’t let me hurt you. Please,” he begged.

Max laughed as Cougar stared into Jensen’s pitch black eyes.

“You say that like you believe you will have a choice, Mr. Jensen and let me assure you, you don’t. As far as I’m concerned the true choice remains with Mr. Alvarez, he can either kill you or let you kill him.”

*O*

Julio dropped down from his perch, in one of the trees bordering the office, landing on the branch beside Pooch. He’d followed Pooch’s instruction to the letter after they’d scoped out the building and realized that Max had hooked the place up to generators to ensure that it wasn’t registering on the grid. Julio would be the first to admit that he wasn’t at all technologically inclined but he’d gotten a thrill from messing with the man’s generators….now all they had to do was pray that they hadn’t come too late.

“Do you think this will work?” he asked Pooch.

“Oh yeah, it’ll work. Ain’t a machine in this world that the Pooch can’t take apart and that generator is gonna blow any minute…..”

The explosion that interrupted Pooch’s words rocked the tree that they were on as one side of the building caved like a house of cards.

“And that’s our cue, move it or lose it, lover boy,” Pooch called as he leapt from the tree and raced towards the building.

Julio followed him, hopping over the badly burnt bodies of the two betas who had been guarding the gates to the place.

Max had started this and now they were taking the fight to him.

*O*

Cougar flung himself to the ground when Jensen lunged at him. His mate was fully shifted into his alpha form now and the presence in Cougar’s mind raged like a maelstrom, battering at his psyche while Jensen snarled at him, bloody foam coating his lips and bared teeth.

“Jensen you must stop,” Cougar pleaded, ducking when Jensen swiped at him, his claws digging into the concrete where Cougar’s head had been mere seconds ago, showering the smaller man with dust and debris when Jensen yanked the appendage free. Carlos shook his head, trying to clear the dirt from his vision without losing sight of Jensen, who was advancing on him again.  

“It’s no use reasoning with him now….he can’t hear you and even if he could he’s not the person you once knew. So the question is will you let him kill you or will you kill him first? That is, if you can.”

“Calle la boca!” Cougar spat, grabbing Jensen’s arm when the alpha charged him and twisting in a move that sent his mate flying over his shoulder.

Cougar winced as Jensen hit the far wall but before he knew it the wolf was up and moving again, each lunge and swipe herding Cougar towards the corner of the room where he would have less room to manoeuvre.

“Jensen listen to me!” Cougar begged as Jensen dropped onto all fours, prowling towards him but all he got in response was a snarl that made Cougar’s blood run cold.

Suddenly the entire building rocked sending Cougar stumbling and before Carlos could regain his footing Jensen slammed into him like a sack of rocks, sharp teeth digging into his arm. The sound of the following explosion drowned out Cougar’s howl of pain as Jensen jerked his head, flinging him across the room.

Cougar hit the wall hard and as he instinctively reached out to catch himself, his injured arm gave out with a loud crack that announced that something had shattered even as his head banged against the metal table and as the dual sensations of pain tore through him, everything else faded away.

*O*

Roque snorted as he stepped over the bodies of one of the guards that had been stationed in front of their room. Max was an idiot if he really thought that a group of humans could keep them anywhere.

Trevor made quick work of the lock and when the door slid open Michael stepped out, scanning the corridor before gesturing for them to follow him…it was time for them to find their teammates and make Max pay.

*O*

Jensen’s wolf howled with victory and fury when the blood in his mouth registered on his tongue and for a second the whole world froze as the black slid from his eyes leaving space for the familiar blue that immediately latched onto the slumped form on the ground. Jensen took an unsteady step forward, his fur receding beneath his skin while the bond reached out, latching onto their anchor....to Cougar’s presence. But where before Cougar had been a vibrant space in his head now there was a cold darkness that made Jensen shiver as he dropped to his knees.

“Cougar?” he whispered, fingers reaching out to touch the familiar curls but when he did he pulled back in shock as his fingers came away wet with blood. “Carlos, don’t fucking do this to me,” Jensen pleaded, dragging his mate into his lap while the wolf started up a steady whine in his head, clawing frantically at the place where Cougar’s essence flickered like a dying candle. There was so much blood, it soaked Jensen’s legs and made his stomach churn even as he reminded himself that head wounds bled more than usual. Cougar would be fine, he had to be yet despite his mental reassurance he couldn’t stop stroking Carlos’ hair. “Please, come on, man, you’ve got to wake up. I mean you don’t really want to make me a single parent, do you? Cause I’m way too hot to be a widower and….I can’t do this without you, Cougar so stop being such a fucking ass and wake up. Please.” the last word was a plea that came out dual toned as his wolf begged with him, pleading for their mate to be ok.

“You talk a lot and I did not hear an apology for almost killing me,”

Cougar’s raspy voice made Jensen start as he glanced into the familiar dark eyes of his mate. Cougar smiled at him, reaching up to brush unsteady fingers against his jaw.

“You didn’t leave,” Jensen choked out and Cougar nodded slowly.

“We are mates that means we will never leave each other behind.”

“I think you’re a fucking idiot for not at least trying to knock me out but I love your crazy ass,” Jensen whispered as he buried his head in Cougar’s chest, ignoring the tears rolling down his face. He didn’t care if real men didn’t cry because he felt that he was well overdue for an emotional breakdown.

“You would not have left either,” Cougar responded even while his grip on Jensen tightened and the blond slumped into the embrace gasping softly when Cougar inhaled and rubbed his nose against Jensen’s nape.

“Jesus, we’re a fucking pair aren’t we?” Jensen muttered as he rose, the sounds of distress around him pulling him from his personal collapse. Shaking his head he tried to calm the snarls of his wolf but the creature wouldn’t be placated and Jensen’s muscles shivered when it tried to force its way to the surface again.

“Jensen?”

Cougar’s voice snapped Jensen back to the present and he glanced down into his mate’s concerned eyes before pulling Cougar to his feet.

“Sorry…..I don’t think that whatever he gave me is gone. It kind of feels like my wolf is still…..” he trailed off and Cougar’s eyes narrowed.

“There has never been a cure for the feral disease,” he pointed out, his tone heavy with regret and Jensen nodded in understanding because that was true but here he was standing on his own two feet having a conversation that didn’t involve evisceration and he was totally counting that as a win.

“I get that but right now I’m figuring we should concentrate more on leaving this place and less on whether or not I’m gonna lose my collective marbles.”

Cougar opened his mouth as if he was about to object but another explosion made the roof creak threateningly and Jensen didn’t let the man start thinking again, instead he moved towards the door and got to work on the panel.

It looked like Max was distracted but he wasn’t sure how long that was going to last for and he wanted Cougar to at least have a way out if he succumbed to the madness that was now lingering beneath his skin.

His wolf howled at the thought and its rage made Jensen shiver again before he refocused on the lock. He needed this door open like yesterday and feral virus or no feral virus he was going to give Cougar an option that didn’t include having Jensen’s blood on his hands.

*O*

Jodi fidgeted in her seat, her eyes darting from passenger to passenger. There was something niggling at the back of her mind, a wisp of a scent that seemed familiar but that set her wolf on edge at the same time.

She could make out various members of her pack threaded through the human passengers and their presence was the only thing keeping her from flipping her shit at the thought of how many hours separated her and Jensen.

A flight attendant passed her seat and Jodi smiled at the woman before her eyes flickered to the man standing behind the brunette. The entire world seemed to slow as both her human and wolf senses placed the man but there was no way….she’d seen the body, this bastard was dead!

She must have made a sound because the man’s head snapped towards her, his eyes shifting to amber as he realized who she was but before he could make a move in either direction Jodi was out of her seat, the belt shredding easily beneath her claws as she leapt at him. Sounds of panic erupted around them when she hit the traitor head on and they rolled into the aisle but Jodi was only focused on the wolf beneath her while her vision bled red with rage.

*O*

Julio followed Pooch as he raced into the building. The second explosion had been more destructive than they’d accounted for and even now workers were running from the mess of fire and glass barely wasting a glance for the two men running into the madness. Just that reaction was enough for them to realize that most of these people were humans because wolves would have protected their territory, no matter the circumstances.

The first floor of the building was mass pandemonium, people streaming down the stairs as they tried to get out and Julio snorted, bypassing the stairs completely as he leapt from one floor to the curved landing of the metal staircase, startling a number of the humans in the process. Pooch followed merely a second behind and soon they were on the second floor which was almost completely abandoned.

The team’s scent was stronger here and Julio inhaled as Pooch passed him, ducking his head into one of the rooms before pulling back with a grimace.

“Ok, they were here so that’s a good thing...it gets even better when you add in the fact that they jimmied the lock to get out,” the dark man muttered.

Julio cocked a brow at that. “Then they must have gone looking for Jensen,” he guessed and Pooch nodded.

“We need to keep following the scent trail because these idiots could find trouble in a monastery,”  he responded and Julio smirked at the fondness in the man’s tone despite his words because from what he’d seen Pooch spoke nothing but the truth.


	15. Chapter 15

Wade had had fights in a lot of places but he’d never had one on a fucking airplane. He ducked as the woman lunged for him but he wasn’t fast enough to block the claws that tore through his cheek though the vicious backhand that he retaliated with made him grin when he heard something in the blonde’s jaw crack.

The woman skidded to a stop, her back slamming into the empty seats while the humans around them fled. Wade caught sight of several wolves trying to make their way to them but the mass chaos that the panicked humans had caused kept them at bay which meant it was just him and the little bitch…at least for now.

The irony of the situation didn’t escape him. He’d just run from this pack and even faked death to get them off his tail only to run into them because he’d been so anxious to leave the fuckers behind. It just went to show that the whole ‘he who fights and runs way’ thing was bullshit.

Snarling at the woman as she righted herself, Wade decided to end this quickly. If he could get to the pilot the wolves would have to back off unless they wanted to plummet to their deaths.

This time when the woman rushed him Wade shifted to the side and grabbed her long braid, yanking her head back before slamming it into the hard wall of the plane with enough force to rattle the plane’s window pane.

The elbow to his stomach forced the air from his lungs and made him hunch forward even as the blonde brought her head back, slamming it into Wade’s nose. Wade snarled when the bone shattered sending blood spurting down his face. Pain ricocheted through his head as his vision blurred and the woman yanked herself away before he could shake the pain off.

The woman didn’t give him time to react as her claws dug a bloody line across his face and Wade howled when pain exploded from his right eye. His vision flickered and suddenly there was nothing but blackness to his right. It took Wade a second to realize that the reason why he couldn’t see was because what was left of his eye was leaking down his face and screamed when the woman rammed her fist into the now empty socket.

Lashing out blindly while what remained of his vision dimmed, Wade tried to get back into the fight but it was too late and his disadvantage was too great.

The blonde barred bloody teeth at him as she circled him like a shark, staying out of range of his claws. The silence was what alerted him to the fact that the wolves had finally regained control of the situation and now the people who watched the fight were all his kin….kin that would gladly watch someone rip his throat out.

Wade had always known that he’d go out with a bang….hell it had been his life’s goal but now with the situation staring him in the face he couldn’t stop the surge of desperation that made bile rise in his throat. His wolf snarled its fury, it didn’t want to die here not surrounded by people that thought of them as nothing but traitors and yet there was little that they could do.

Shoving the thought aside Wade refocused on the blonde just as she darted towards him…he might die today but he was going to make sure that they fucking remembered him!

Snarling he rushed to meet the woman and as the scent of blood increased in the air, one wolf fell to the floor.

*O*

Julio couldn’t say what made him stop in front of the room but he did and Pooch almost ran into his back. Julio didn’t notice that, all he was focused on was the door and as it slid open he took a hesitant step back. The beta that stepped out of the room was one that could have been part of any of the packs that populated their country but the smell of desperation and fury said that she definitely wasn’t on their side.

“It was going so well….I was going to get promoted and sent out into the field but now the boss is going to have to shut it all down because of you idiots!” the woman snarled and Julio’s eyes darted to her name badge….Cynthia. “Do you know how hard we’ve worked before you ruined it all?!” she demanded.

Julio shook his head. “We are sorry but what this man is doing here…..”

“He’s not doing anything but saving us from those ferals!” Cynthia snapped, her fingers curling around the gun that Julio hadn’t noticed before….it wasn’t an ordinary gun either, it looked more like a weapon that would have been used to shoot tranquilizer darts than anything else. “Don’t you understand? He’s saving us! What do you think would happen if all of you went mad out there where the humans could see? At least in here you’ll be controlled and he’d treat you as humanely as anyone could treat a feral.”

“You think that Max is what, collecting ferals? Cause let me tell you, lady, if that’s what you think is going on here then you’re either stupid as hell or crazy as hell!” Pooch shot back and Cynthia’s eyes darted to him.

“Like I’m going to believe anything that you say. Ferals aren’t exactly trustworthy.”

“Neither is your boss,” Julio responded, keeping his tone calm because the last thing they needed was for the woman to get trigger happy. “Max is lying to you. He is not collecting ferals; he’s making them and sending them out to fight against our own people.”

“You’re lying!” Cynthia spat, her finger tightening around the gun in her hand.

“I’m not,” Julio replied, spreading his hands wide. “Max used to employ a loner someone called Anthony…..”

Cynthia’s eyes narrowed. “Anthony went feral.”

“Anthony blew up the Santiago pack because your boss told him to but let me guess they were a whole pack of ferals right?” Pooch demanded as he stepped forward.

Cynthia shook her head and took a step back. “Anthony got infected by the virus and we couldn’t find a cure yet. That’s all the boss is trying to do, find a cure for us.”

“It is not a virus. It is a mutation….a mutation that’s more likely to affect loners because of the genes that we lack. I saw the research; all the loners that your boss has brought to this place were fine. I spoke to Anthony the day before he vanished and he was fine. Max is not trying to eradicate the feral disease; it was just a side effect of his other research….a very lucrative side effect,”  Julio explained slowly. “And now he has kidnapped one of our friends and used him to lure the rest of us here. What feral would care enough to save another wolf?  What feral would be smart enough to shut down an entire building instead of just going on a rampage? You would know what the truth is if you truly looked at the signs around you,” Julio pleaded.

Cynthia bit her lip, her gun hand lowering just as Pooch moved forward and the woman must have caught sight of his action because suddenly the gun was up again and the sound of the chamber releasing was all that Julio could hear.

He flung himself to the side, shoving Pooch out of the way of the projectile that flew from the gun even as he rounded on Cynthia, his face coated with fur as his wolf tore its way to the surface. But between one step and the next his legs gave out beneath him, sending him tumbling to the ground as a burning sensation started at his neck, rolling through his entire body in mere seconds. Julio frowned as he raised his hand to the injured spot, his brows furrowing even more when his fingers encountered a small needle-like object protruding from his neck.

As he yanked it out, Pooch was there, grabbing the thing from him and Julio could hear snarled words over his head but his mind was filled with nothing but pain, tidal waves of the sensation battering against his mind and his wolf howled, the sound ringing in his head while his eyes closed.

*O*

Cynthia dropped the gun as the dark haired wolf collapsed in front of her, the other man was suddenly there helping his fallen friend even while the injured wolf’s words rung in Cynthia’s ears. Ferals didn’t try to help each other…they didn’t understand that, not when the wolf was bent on destroying everything in its path.

“What the fuck did you do to him?!” The dark man snarled and Cynthia had to force herself to not cringe at the rage in the man’s voice as she met his amber eyes.

“I….I don’t know. The boss had it with him but when the explosions happened, he left it. I thought it was something that would hold you off,” she blurted out and the low growl that echoed from the man made her take a step backwards.

“You’d better fucking hope and pray that whatever the hell was in that thing was nothing more than a damn tranquilizer or you’re going to explain what the hell happened to him to two pissed off wolves and I’m just talking about his mates,” the man snarled and for the first time in her life Cynthia wished she’d never taken the damn job when Max had offered it because the man was dead serious. If the wolf didn’t wake up she’d not only have his blood on her hands but she’d also have a bounty on her head and she knew how important mates were. If the guy didn’t wake up she was as good as dead.

*O*

Cougar followed Jensen as his mate strode down the corridor, unmindful of the fact that all he was dressed in was what remained of his ripped jeans. Jensen’s mind was calmer Cougar could feel that much through the bond. Yet despite the surface calm, there was still an under-layer of wildness that made Cougar’s wolf press forwards trying to get closer to their mate. Jensen must have felt his need because he cast Cougar a sly glance over his shoulder before refocusing on whatever was drawing him forward.

The corridor they were following opened into a wide space that once must have been the cafeteria but now the almost was almost deserted...almost. Cougar barely bit back a snarl when he caught sight of Max facing off against the rest of their group. The man’s back was to them but his words were clear enough and Cougar soundlessly bared his teeth as he listened to the traitor’s words. He was so focused on Max that when Jensen released his hold on his human form, flowing seamlessly into his alpha state, Cougar almost gave them away.

Jensen had always been big in this form but now he was even larger like whatever had happened to him before still lingered. When Jensen shifted forward, his new form moving as gracefully as his old one, Cougar shivered as the memory of facing off against his mate flooded back into his mind. Thankfully before the memory could take root Jensen glanced towards him and Cougar swallowed back his gasp of surprise when he saw his mate’s face. The canine structure of his jaw and face were the same but the blackness of his eyes seemed to have leaked onto his fur, leaving jagged lines trailing through the blond coat that stretched up towards Jensen’s ears.

Jensen shook himself and his fur rippled upwards in a way that made him look even larger and Cougar wondered if maybe this wasn’t the true reason for the stories about their kind. Maybe there had been feral alphas, maybe Jensen wasn’t the first. The thought made something cold run through him until he remembered that Jensen had fought off the disease and he’d done it because of Cougar.

A small glimmer of regret flitted through their bond and Cougar realized that though Jensen was focused on Max he must have caught the tail end of Cougar’s thoughts. Cougar shook his head; this wasn’t the time to dwell on what had happened before. Threading his fingers through Jensen’s fur he sent all the reassurance that he could and in return he was hit with a wave of love, want, need that made his wolf whine with pleasure. This was their mate and he’d told Jensen before that he’d stay by his side, no matter what, and it was a promise that Cougar fully intended to keep until his dying day.

*O*

Max stood in the centre of the cafeteria, his eyes narrowed as he waited for the wolves that were chasing him and right on cue the group rushed into the room, only to be greeted with a small smile.

“Well it took you long enough,” he called, grinning as they slowed down and glanced around uncertainly as if they thought that someone would come jumping out at any second. It was a bit late to be worrying about a trap when you’d already walked into it Max mused but he kept those thoughts to himself. “It would seem that destruction of personal property is a thing for your group, isn’t it?” he mused. “Though this time you have an actual reason to be here…..I wonder how is Mr Jensen?”

“Where the hell is he?” A tall black wolf snarled and Max cocked his head as he identified the wolf as William Roque

“You’re the wolves, I would’ve figured that you’d sniff him out by now but then again you might not want to sniff him out after he’s done with Alvarez,” he purred. “It’s quite distressing to see how messy those ferals can be and I’d imagine that a feral alpha would be much worse.”

Michael growled, a low sound that made the hair on Max’s neck stand on end and he had to fight to hide the grimace that tried to flicker across his face at his instinctual reaction to the alpha’s anger.  This was why he couldn’t remain as a beta…what good was a wolf if they had to defer to someone else? It was why Max had wiped out his entire pack member by member because they’d seen him grovel before that bitch of a woman that he’d called his mother. They’d all whispered behind his back about how disappointed she’d been when Max hadn’t manifested as an alpha and they’d stood there with their little smirks when she named some has-been as her heir. All of that had happened because by some trick of genetics, Max hadn’t been what she’d wanted.

It had taken him years to get this far in his research and he’d be damned if he let any of these idiots get their hands on it. At the thought his fingers slipped to his pocket and Max froze because it was empty, no tell-tale shape of the tranquilizer gun that he’d loaded the latest batch of his serum into…there was nothing.

Gritting his teeth Max forced a smug smile across his face. He could deal with this, all he needed was to keep them talking. Everything wasn’t in place yet, when it was he could use his failsafe and then double back or contact one of his human operatives….yes that was a good plan. These wolves had a sense of dignity that meant that they wouldn’t harm an unarmed human, not unless they were attacked first. The idea solidified in his mind but there was still a part of him that wanted the serum back as soon as possible which meant he’d have to go looking for it himself.

“I’m not going to ask you again. Where the hell are they?” Michael demanded and Max tapped a slender finger to his chin as he pretended to think, savouring the rage that was growing on the alpha’s face.

“It’s hard to keep track of everyone around here. After all it’s such a big facility,” he mused barely registering the faint buzz that was his warning system. Someone had just entered the room from the lab entrance and seeing as all his workers were too busy fleeing with their tails in between their legs Max could guess who was trying to sneak up on him. Straightening Max spread his hands wide. “Then again it could be that the people you’re looking for are right here…isn’t that right Mr Jensen?”

*O*

Jodi spat a mouthful of blood onto the plane’s floor as she stared down at the body of the dead wolf and there was no doubt that the man was dead this time around. The man’s neck had been all but torn out, leaving a gaping hole where flesh and muscle had once been concealed by skin. The once bright amber eyes had faded back to that of the wolf’s human counterpart and Jodi’s lips pulled up into a snarl as she stared into the blank green eyes.

Her wolf was howling its victory in her head but the human part of her, that could smell the fear radiating off the human passengers, couldn’t help but feel like even though she’d won this fight their people had lost something much greater.

Wolves as a whole tried to keep their issues out of the public eye because humans were quick to judge and even quicker to exaggerate the smallest thing until a simple brawl sounded like a medieval blood bath.

A hand on her shoulder pulled Jodi from her morbid thoughts and she glanced up into her father’s eyes. There was no judgement there just like there was none on the faces of any of her pack or the several other wolves that had boarded the plane with them.

“You did good, baby girl,” Mark whispered, too low for any of the humans to hear before he turned to the onlookers.

“We apologize for what you saw here today but this man was little more than a terrorist who targeted a population that included women and children. While I am aware that human courts preach about human rights, this is not how we operate. We’ll leave a contact number for anyone who wants more information, or counselling, to reach us on but won’t apologize for what we are and I hope that you all understand that.”

His words were calm and measured and they spread like a balm through the crowd. Jodi could hear several people whispering about what they would have done to a human terrorist and one particularly gruesome description made her snort.  Robert had shaken her faith in humanity when he’d said that she was little more than a monster but now surrounded by people who didn’t see them as the nightmares of old, Jodi could raise her head and smile because things would be ok. They would find Jensen and the others and someday she’d look back on this day and laugh…it wouldn’t be today or tomorrow but it would happen eventually and that was enough.

*O*

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Pooch snarled as Julio began to seize. The quakes that shook the man’s body were so strong that it was taking all of Pooch’s strength to hold him down. Julio snarled, as his eyelids fluttered but didn’t open and when one hand slipped free Pooch readied himself for another fight to regain it when the woman…Cynthia, if her name badge was to be believed, grabbed Julio’s arm and pinned it to the floor.

At Pooch’s suspicious glare she ducked her head. “I caused this, the least I can do is stick around and help,” she offered up as an explanation.

Pooch didn’t thank her because as far as he was concerned she was damn right. If she hadn’t shot Julio with whatever the hell had been in that gun they wouldn’t be here now.

Fur sprouted across Julio’s skin while he growled, fighting against some unseen assailant and Pooch grunted when Julio managed to elbow him in the chest hard enough to make a few of his ribs groan in complaint.

“Man, you so owe me for this shit,” Pooch groused and for a second Julio’s eyes flickered open but instead of the solid amber of his wolf, ebony eyes met Pooch’s before Julio’s eyes closed again and he went still beneath their combined grasps.

Pooch pressed his fingers to Julio’s wrists and the steady pulse there made the horror that had been creeping across his mind retreat. The man was ok…for now.

*O*

Cougar tensed at Max’s words but Jensen didn’t, his mate prowled forward, muscles coiling like a well-oiled machine beneath his heavy fur and Cougar could do nothing but follow where Jensen led.

Several scents hit him at once; relief, confusion, nervousness and it was the last scent that had his eyes narrowing even as he tightened his grip on Jensen’s fur. He didn’t care what anyone else said Jensen was his mate and despite whatever Max had tried to do to the man Jensen had overcome it enough to keep Cougar safe, even though the threat had been himself.  Raising his head Cougar met the eyes of the others firmly before his gaze skittered back to Max when Jensen’s low rumble vibrated the body beneath his palm.

Max clapped his hands together not turning to face them. “Now that everyone is here, I’ll give you the same option I gave Mr Alvarez….kill or be killed. That is if Mr Jensen is even willing to fight after…..” the man’s words trailed off as he turned and caught sight of Cougar. His look of surprise made Cougar’s lips curl into a smug smile.

“You said kill or be killed, si? Well we chose another option.”

Max’s eyes darted to Jensen and his mate snarled, revealing two rows of jagged teeth as he took a step forward.

“That isn’t possible!” he spat, eyes narrowing when they fell to the place where Cougar’s hand was still resting against Jensen’s fur. “He was feral!”

“Yeah, well I grew up with him and that level of crazy is pretty damn normal,” Roque smirked.

Cougar shot the man a thankful grin as Michael crossed his arms across his chest. “Looks like whatever the hell you were planning just fell through, Max. I’d give up if I were you.”

Max tensed, his eyes narrowing as he glanced from Jensen to the group. “Well it seems we’re at a bit of a crossroads here…sadly I don’t intend to go down with this ship, so this is goodbye.”

Cougar frowned in confusion but Jensen surged forwards when Max reached into his pocket, his teeth bared as he charged the man. A second before he hit the beta the floor opened up beneath them and Cougar yelped as they went plummeting downwards


	16. Chapter 16

Pooch sighed, staring down at Julio’s still form. They couldn’t just stay here because he didn’t know what type of security Max had wandering around but at the same time he really didn’t feel good about moving Julio especially when he didn’t know what the man had been infected with.

“I didn’t know, I swear. The boss man said he was collecting the ferals, keeping the rest of us safe. I swear I didn’t know,” Cynthia babbled and Pooch shot the woman a dark look. After dealing with Jolene he’d learned that females were just as sturdy as men so this little ‘woe is me’ act wasn’t going to get the woman off scott free.

“Look, you saying that over and over isn’t gonna…..” Pooch’s words trailed off as a metallic clang echoed through the corridor. “What the hell was that?” he demanded.

Cynthia shook her head, her expression too bewildered to be fake. “No idea,” she responded, her frown deepening as another clang sounded, this time even closer.

Pooch sucked in a sharp breath; it looked like they were going to have to move after all because he wasn’t about to stay where he was and be a sitting duck for whatever the hell was coming. With a frustrated growl he hauled Julio upwards, slinging the man’s body over his shoulder before turning to Cynthia, who’d risen to her feet as well.

“You said you wanted to help, right? Well find us somewhere safe to keep him and we’ll call it even.”

Cynthia gaped at him before another of the metal clangs snapped her out of her daze and she nodded. “The boss keeps a safe room in case any of the ferals got out during transportation, it’s for the humans but you can put him in there and we can guard it.”

Pooch grinned. “Sounds like my sort of place. Let’s go,” he ordered, following Cynthia when she darted out into the corridor.

*O*

Jensen shifted out as he fell, the wolf receding in the face of something that it couldn’t control. His body twisted in mid-air and he landed hard on his hands and knees but that was better than what could have happened if it wasn’t for his reflexes.

Shaking his head he rose to his feet, glancing around as the others followed suit, all of them except for the Colonel. It looked like Michael and Trevor had tried to cushion the man’s fall but even two wolves couldn’t fight against gravity and a seventeen foot drop. The man’s face was ashen and Jensen could smell blood lurking just beneath his skin. It made his wolf roil and for a second his eyes fixated on the blood that was smeared around the Colonel’s mouth until a soft touch on his elbow redirected his attention to Cougar.

“I felt it too.”

Jensen didn’t even bother to act like he didn’t know what Cougar was talking about because he could feel it, the same rage that had infected his wolf was seeping through the bond like it was being drawn towards Cougar and Jensen dropped his hand to tangle his fingers with his mate.

This wasn’t good. The hole that they’d just been dropped into was pretty much a locked chamber and the only way out was up….which would have been fine if they were all wolves but with a wounded human and Jensen’s mind on the fritz, things could go downhill pretty quickly.

“You need to get out of here,” Jensen whispered, he didn’t include Cougar in his order because even now he could feel Cougar’s wolf warping, twisting itself as it mimicked the changes rushing through Jensen’s brain.

Roque turned and frowned at him. “What the hell are you talking about now?”

“Whatever Max gave me, it wore off when I attacked Cougar or at least we thought it did but now it’s spreading and…..” Jensen trailed off as the Colonel groaned, his eyes flickering over the human’s face as his free hand curled into a fist, claws digging into his palms. His line of vision was interrupted as Trevor stepped in front of the Colonel; cold amber eyes meeting Jensen’s and the blond dropped his gaze to his feet. “You need to get him out of here, he’s bleeding out, I can smell it, you can smell it and the fact that I’m smelling it is the problem here. This thing, it’s making my….” he paused and glanced at Cougar. “It’s making our wolves react and I really don’t think that having you all down here is a good idea.”

“Actually it’s not as bad as you think,” Michael spoke up, glancing at Jensen before returning his attention to the Colonel. “You’re right about the fact that we need to move him…” he gestured to the unconscious man. “But the feral disease? It never attacks bonded pairs and if it does the wolves spread the infection between them. They change the disease into something controllable,” here he paused and raised his head to meet Jensen’s eyes. “So control it. You both learned how to keep the alpha under wraps; you don’t go off at the slightest challenge from every member of your pack so consider this your ‘do or die’ test. We can’t move Franklin until he wakes up and even when that happens we don’t know what’s out there, so you two are going to sit there and give your wolves a crash course on being calm.”

“And if that does not work?” Cougar demanded.

Michael snorted. “Do you know why you’re the alpha heirs…other than the blood thing? Because a lot of alphas have bypassed their family members and chosen strangers to lead their pack in their stead,” he inquired, not waiting for a response. “It’s because you proved yourselves. Both of your parents were willing to put the lives of every wolf in our pack into your hands and right now I’m going to do the same thing,” he murmured, exhaling heavily before shooting them a sad smile. “Don’t prove me wrong.”

Jensen sucked in a sharp breath as he met the eyes of each wolf in turn before turning back to Cougar. “No pressure, huh?”  

*O*

Once their plane touched down the human authorities delayed the group for another thirty minutes until a wolf representative was sent in and Jodi had never been happier for the fact that they were essentially ‘out’ amongst the humans until that minute. If she’d had to explain to the other man one more time why she’d killed the wolf that had tried to kill her own pack it would’ve gotten really ugly really fast. Thankfully the alpha that they’d sent had taken one look at her and the woman’s face had twisted with sympathy before she made Jodi recount the situation one more time then sent them on their way with a promise that she’d be in touch as soon as the body was properly examined.

Michael’s last communication had told them to go straight to the head of the Santana pack which was why Jodi was standing behind her father and Jose waiting for Carmen Santana to appear while the rest of the woman’s pack lingered around casting them nervous glances. A part of Jodi could sympathise with the pack’s fear but another part of her was more focused on finding the rest of her own pack and it couldn’t give less of a damn about how the Santana pack felt. As far as her wolf was concerned this pack and the others who’d stood by and done nothing after the tragedy of the Santiago pack were lower than low and they could go merrily fuck themselves with a ……

Jodi’s thoughts trailed off as a tall dark haired woman walked towards them. Her grey eyes gleamed and the way that she carried herself practically screamed alpha but that wasn’t what had caught Jodi’s attention. Beneath the woman’s own scent there was another so like Beth’s and yet not. It took Jodi a full moment to realize that it wasn’t herself that she was smelling on the child that the woman held in her hands….no, it was Jensen and Carlos.

Jose sucked in a sharp breath just as Mark stepped towards the woman…Carmen, if Jodi remembered correctly. Carmen held out the child the second she was at arm’s length and Jodi’s heart pounded when the toddler turned towards them and familiar blue eyes met her own before her father accepted the baby who cuddled into him, her nose buried at his neck as she grumbled low in her throat.

“My son did not tell me who the child belonged to when he petitioned for sanctuary for her but I am not a fool and the child bears not only the scent of the Alvarez pack but also that of the Jensen’s.” Carmen spoke up, her husky voice low in the silence that had fallen over the other wolves as Mark passed the baby to Jose.

“Where…” Mark choked out, his eyes flickering back to the child who was now trying to grip the long strands of Jose’s hair. “She couldn’t bond with them if she had family,” he pointed out, breaking off his previous question.

Carmen inclined her head in agreement or understanding Jodi wasn’t sure because Jose was passing the little girl to her and every one of her maternal instincts roared to life as she took the baby. The little girl looked so much like Jensen when he was a child that it made a lump settle in Jodi’s throat while she cuddled the girl close.

Children were sacred to wolves and a bonding like this, it was so rare that she’d never seen one in her entire life, only heard stories. She didn’t want to imagine what sort of trauma would push a baby to reach out to essential strangers and she wondered how she’d missed Jensen’s own feelings because the bond wouldn’t have taken if it wasn’t something that her brother had desperately wanted.

“There are investigations going on at a building out in the woods, close to the Santiago pack grounds. The authorities have reported dead wolves but our people say they were feral. There were cells where they seemed to have been kept and laboratories…..” she explained and Jose’s eyes narrowed.

“That is where they came from or someplace like it,” he guessed. At Carmen’s confused expression he elaborated. “Our pack was attacked by ferals.”

Several of the wolves behind Carmen began to whisper amongst themselves but the woman was focused on Jose. “And you left your pack behind?” she demanded.

Mark scoffed. “We lost a few members but every single one of the ferals that stepped foot on our grounds is dead. Our pack can handle themselves and we never back down from a threat or leave a pack member behind.”

Carmen tensed at the implication behind the man’s words before she exhaled. “Your brother said almost the same thing,” she admitted. “I had to put the safety of my own pack first but now…..” she paused, glancing off to the side and the scent of sorrow spiked around her. “My son, he is a loner but he stands with your people and because of that I will stand with you as well.”

Mark nodded in thanks. “Ok, do any of you know where they went?”

Carmen shook her head. “Not yet but I gave birth to that child and I can track him anywhere. We will find your pack members and the person who is behind this,” she promised and Jodi hoped she was right because she couldn’t think of a world without Jensen or her uncle.

*O*

The room that Cynthia led them to was one of the best safe rooms that Pooch had ever seen which either meant that the man had been preparing for a damn zombie apocalypse or he’d been planning something big that would have required him to lay low for a while. Either way, it didn’t matter now because there was a bed and what looked like a first aid kit for wolves and that was all Pooch really needed to know.

Lowering Julio onto the bed, Pooch pressed his fingers to the man’s left wrist again just to be sure while Cynthia searched the room for something.

“Found it!”

The woman’s exclamation made Pooch turn to her just in time to see her power up a laptop that he hadn’t noticed.

“The boss put this away just before you guys arrived and he didn’t even lock it down he just…..” her words trailed off as she read the document that had opened up the moment she hit system resume. “Oh God.”

“What?” Pooch demanded, stepping closer so that he could read the screen over her shoulder. His eyes narrowed at the information he found there. It looked like Max had just finished his final batch of the serum that he thought would change him into an alpha but there were discrepancies and the man had estimated a 3% chance of failure. Pooch’s heart fluttered in his chest as he remembered the ferals and the info that they’d found back in the old warehouse. “Tell me that what you injected Julio with wasn’t that fucking serum,” he growled, his voice dropping into the dual tone that came with his wolf’s anger.

“I didn’t know, I swear to God, I didn’t know what he was doing,” Cynthia whispered as she stared at the screen.

Pooch snarled and spun away from the woman, his claws digging into his palms as fur flickered across his skin. Julio could turn into one of those monsters, all because he’d been trying to protect Pooch. Why the hell would the man do that? They weren’t pack….Julio was a fucking loner! Why the hell would he care about what happened to Pooch? And what would happen to Michael and Trevor if the serum failed and Julio did turn into a feral?

The questions buzzed around his head; loud enough to distract him but another louder clang drew him from his thoughts. Whatever that thing was it was heading straight towards them and Pooch wasn’t going to write Julio off yet.

“Look, quit the whining and tell me that this asshole has weapons in here.”

Cynthia glared at him before she shook herself.  “I think he does,” she replied, rising from her seat and Pooch nodded when she headed for a strange metal cupboard, that was almost hidden behind the door.

“Good because I ain’t about to give him a chance to get in here, Julio isn’t gone yet and I’m going to keep it that way until I’m sure of what the hell he’s turning into,” he whispered glancing over at the man on the bed. “He protected me, now it’s time to return the favour.  With interest.”

*O*

Cougar exhaled slowly through his nose, focusing all his senses on Jensen until the pounding of his mate’s heart drowned out the more erratic beat of the Colonel’s. The wolf didn’t seem to react to the others, not like it was reacting to the human in their midst. Carlos wondered if it was because the others were kin even if Trevor wasn’t part of his pack.

The question must have been particularly loud in his head because Jensen leaned even closer, the side of his body providing a solid wall of warmth against Cougar’s side.

“It would make sense. If the mating bond keeps us tied to each other then the pack bond probably keeps the wolf from attacking members of our pack and whether my uncle wants to admit it or not Trevor is his mate which puts him on the ‘no biting’ list whereas the Colonel is fair game,” Jensen guessed.

Cougar hummed beneath his breath as he combed his fingers through Jensen’s hair. “They will not be able to move him without our help.”

Jensen sighed and shook his head in frustration but the action didn’t make Cougar remove his fingers. “At this point I’m just scared of what’ll happen if we lose more control. We might not try to hurt them but we will if we try to go through them to get to him.”

Cougar didn’t respond to that but his gaze did shift to where the human man was lying on the ground. Blood had soaked the ground beneath the Colonel and the scent called to his wolf like a siren’s song woven into the fabric of the air around them.

Roque shot Cougar a glare when he realized where the man was looking but not even the disapproval that was clear on the man’s face made Cougar feel anything other than a twinge of embarrassment at being caught staring. His wolf was worrying at the walls that kept it back and soon Cougar knew that it would get free because he could no more hold the wolf back than he could stop breathing. Contrary to the assumptions of the rest of his pack, the wolf was him. The imaginary walls just made the creature more manageable. It was a fact that he’d kept from everyone even Jensen when his mate had opened up and told him……

“ S’ok, Cougs.” Jensen muttered, his lips pressed against the tender skin at the side of Cougar’s neck and while the move might look sexual Jensen’s mind was focused on the calmness that he could leach from his mate’s presence. “I kinda got what you didn’t say plus you and your mom aren’t exactly poster children for tame wolves.”

Cougar snorted, his eyes flickering to Trevor who had moved so that he was blocking their view of the Colonel again.  “My abuela taught me to accept what the wolf gave me even if it was rage and bloodlust. She believed that accepting the wolf gave me better control.”

“I don’t think that Trevor’s gonna like it if we accept the fact that we sort of want to kill his teammate,” Jensen pointed out and Cougar shivered as a sudden surge of rage, want and hunt slammed through their bond even while the prickle of fur brushed his skin where Jensen was now just resting his cheek against Cougar’s.

“Fighting it is not helping us either,” Cougar responded shortly, ignoring the prickle of claws that dug into his skin as he pressed his hands against his jeans.

Jensen raised his head and stared at him for a moment, his eyes flickering from blue to black and Cougar kept his expression calm even when the strange lines that had been on Jensen’s fur, after his last shift, appeared around his eyes.

“If we do this, it’s gonna take both of us to keep this thing under control because I don’t think that I can do it alone,” Jensen whispered, his expression turning solemn. “I bet you didn’t expect this when you chased down my scent, huh?”

Cougar leaned forward ignoring Jensen’s last words as he brushed their noses together before resting his forehead against Jensen’s. “I am with you, mi amor,” he promised, keeping his eyes opened as Jensen’s closed. He meant his words; he just hoped that his efforts would be enough.

*O*

Max paused, slamming his hand against another panel and growling beneath his breath when the door slid open only to reveal an empty room. He should’ve known that the betas would have fled the moment they caught the scent of the other wolves. In a way it was his fault for claiming that any wolf that he brought into the building was a potential feral if they weren’t an employee. Though he had liked the look of horror on the faces of the other wolves whenever he explained why they shouldn’t go poking their noses into place that he hadn’t assigned them to. You’d think that in this day and age they would have realized that the feral disease wasn’t something to hide away from. It was just another part of nature that Max had learned to control in a way that provided him with the funds he needed to equip the rest of his operation.

Slamming the door shut with a press of his palm, Max moved to the other one. He was going to kill Cynthia slowly if the little bitch had run off and left his serum unprotected. Or maybe he’d just test the damn thing on her when she came crawling back, like he knew she would.

This room was empty too and Max stopped in the middle of the corridor, turning in a tight circle as he scented the air. Most of the place held Cynthia’s scent trails because as one of his oldest employees she had more access to the building than her co-workers which was making it damn hard to track her down.

The fact that the hallway was permeated with the scent of the other wolves didn’t help matters at all.

Max snorted and turned towards the labs maybe Cynthia had doubled back and…..

A loud crunch beneath his heel made Max stop, his head cocked as he glanced at the floor. Shattered pieces of glass provided an explanation for the sound and Max crouched as he glanced at the thing, his nostrils flaring when the familiar scent of his lab reached him.

A slow smile spread across Max’s face as he caught sight of his gun a few feet away. It looked like little Cynthia had her uses after all…that was if she hadn’t injected her damn self with the thing. Either way Max just needed to track her down to know who had been infected with the serum because he wasn’t about to let his best chances of success slip through his fingers and the sooner he did it the better. That hole wasn’t going to hold an alpha feral for long, no matter what miracle had made the serum’s effects recede in the first place.

*O*

“What do you mean I’m not going?” Jodi demanded, glaring up at her father even as she rocked the toddler who was resting on her hip.

“We’re already taking Carmen with us, if you go too, who are we going to leave her with?” Mark shot back, though his expression was slightly remorseful. “If you tell me that you’d be comfortable leaving her behind then I’d have you at my side in a heartbeat.”

Jodi pursed her lips, her eyes shifting to the other wolves that were strewn across the grounds. Her dad was right, something in her curled unpleasantly at the thought of leaving her new niece with any of these wolves. They were kin but they weren’t pack and her wolf still hadn’t forgiven them for what it saw as the abandonment of the Santiago pack.

Exhaling harshly Jodi moved the baby so that she was cuddled against her chest as she inhaled the scent of family that clung to the little girl’s skin before she raised her head and met her father’s eyes. “Promise me that you’ll bring them back in one piece,” she pleaded.

Mark stepped closer, his arms wrapping tightly around her, though he took care to not squash the baby. “I’ll do my best, sunshine,” he promised and Jodi swallowed the lump in her throat as he pulled back.

Raising her head she met his eyes steadily as he shot her a tiny salute before spinning on his heels and heading towards where the others were waiting.

As soon as her father joined the group, the dark wolf that was Carmen took off like a bullet leaving the others to race after her, some still in their human form while the alphas took to the trees in the mid-way state that they all shared.

It took little more than a few seconds for them to vanish from sight then a few more minutes for them to move beyond even her capacity to hear.

Shaking her head Jodi refocused on the little girl in her arms. Right now all she could do was wait, bond with her niece and remind herself that Jensen had taken the best team out there. They could handle whatever this guy threw at them, she was sure of it!  

*O*

Jensen brushed off his jeans as he stood, ignoring the low growl that escaped Trevor as he stepped towards them. If his face looked anything like Cougar’s he could guess why the man was reacting the way he was. The dark lines running upwards from Cougar’s eyes were frankly creepy as hell, especially combined with the pitch black eyes his mate was sporting.

“Alright, if we put this off any longer it’s just going to make the situation worse,” Jensen started, glancing at Cougar, who gave him a quick nod. “We need to make a human ladder because that wall isn’t going to be easy to climb, which means that we’re going to have to trade off passing this guy upwards….”

“And you think that you’re in control, right now?” Trevor demanded.

Jensen didn’t even bother to hold back the sharp cackle that escaped him. “You know the freaky thing about this whole feral gimmick? It just proved how absolutely not in control I am but that’s half of the fun,” he responded lightly before smoothing his expression into something more serious. “You won’t be able to do this on your own so you need me and Carlos. I get that you think we’re going to go all Big Bad Wolf on you all and you’re probably right but right now you’re sitting ducks. Up there, you’d have more of a chance to get away if anything happens. It’s up to you really.”

Cougar moved to stand beside Jensen as the others glanced at each other.

Finally Michael nodded. “Let’s get this done.”

Roque shrugged. “Jensen’s always crazy, can’t say that this surprises me all that much,” he started, his eyes holding Jensen’s. “But I’ve followed his crazy ass all my damn life and this isn’t going to make me stop.”

Jensen’s lips quirked at Roque’s words before his attention shifted to Trevor who was still watching them.

“I don’t know you guys all that well and while you did save us, my loyalty is still with Clay so I’m gonna accept the help but if you make so much as one wrong move….” The man trailed off, his threat clear in his tone and stance.

Jensen nodded in understanding. “We understand.”

“We only wish to help,” Cougar offered up.

Trevor inclined his head. “Yeah, well the road to hell is paved with good intentions so as long as you guys keep yourselves under control we’ll all be fine.”

Jensen’s wolf growled as Trevor hoisted Clay upwards and Jensen turned his head to the side, inhaling Cougar’s scent before he took a step towards the wall.

This was going to be a fucking nightmare…he could feel it in his bones. 


	17. Chapter 17

Pooch cocked the gun as he waited for the clanging to come nearer. From where he was positioned, between the bed and the door, he could just make out the top of Cynthia’s head over the table she was huddled behind. After he’d managed to calm his wolf tt hadn’t taken him long to realize what the sounds were. Someone was slamming doors, which meant that someone was searching for something…or someone, Pooch really didn’t care which. All he knew was that if that someone was Max he was going to pump him so full of wolf’s bane bullets that he wouldn’t know up from down.

Cynthia glanced his way after one minute stretched into two without a sound to break the heavy silence and Pooch shook his head at her, gesturing for her to stay down just as the intercom overhead buzzed to life.

“Cynthia, Cynthia, Cynthia,” Max’s voice purred over the system. “You don’t seem to be cowering in fear because of the strange wolf at your back,” the man commented and Pooch watched the way that Cynthia shivered as the man’s voice filled the room.

“You told us that they were ferals. You told us Anthony was a feral, that you had to put him down!” the woman spat glaring up at the ceiling where Max’s voice seemed to be coming from.

“Science requires sacrifice, Cynthia, you and I both know that….Anthony did too,” Max responded.

“So science made you kill an entire pack? Because let me tell you the Pooch isn’t buying that shit.” Pooch growled.

“Whether you buy it or not, Mr. Porteous doesn’t change the fact that your friend there is waking up and he doesn’t seem too happy.”

A low growl punctuated the man’s statement and Pooch flung himself to the side, on instinct, just as Julio reared up off the bed, solid black eyes meeting Pooch’s for a moment before the half-shifted wolf tore from the room.

“Motherfucker!” Pooch snarled, dropping the gun and shifting out as he raced after Julio, following the snarls and growls that echoed through the corridors.

The wolf was a tempest in his mind, confusion and rage bleeding into each other while Pooch followed Julio’s path barely aware of the footsteps that meant that Cynthia was following them.

Julio hadn’t attacked him. He’d had the chance but instead of going for his throat the man had gone for the exit, that wasn’t something that a feral would do…..or at least Pooch sure as hell hoped it wasn’t something that a feral would because otherwise this was a no win situation.

*O*

Max smiled as he watched the wild wolf race through the halls. He hadn’t gotten a close enough look at the man’s face but what he had seen had revealed the black eyes of an alpha which meant that the man probably wasn’t feral but it was too early to tell. The fact that he’d seemed to have almost achieved the alpha shift was another point in his favour but Max needed to see more before he made a final conclusion which meant that he needed to keep an eye on the other group.

A flicker of his fingers over his keypad had the screen changing to show the empty cafeteria. The places where the booby trap had blown the floor open was a gaping hole but there was no activity anywhere near the surface. He had to admit that the Jensen alpha intrigued him. He didn’t understand how the man had managed to fight off the disease for so long and if he had the chance he would try to retrieve the man from the pit unless he clawed his way out by himself. Best case scenario, the brat would snap and eliminate all the unnecessary wolves and Max would be able to keep him and the infected loner in the building until he could call in an extraction team. Worst case scenario, they both found each other and Max only got one subject…either way he won and that was fine with him.

*O*

Jensen breathed slowly while he clutched at the wall with one hand, his claws digging into the hard material to find a grip. The wolf rolled beneath his skin, watching everything through his eyes as Michael climbed higher above him. It was his turn to take the Colonel and Jensen was dreading it with the intensity of a thousand dying stars but this was the only that their plan would work.

“Hey, Cougar, if we get out of this, I think we should tie the knot in the human way. Kind of like a thank you to this guy for making me realize that I’m fucked without you,” Jensen called down.

Cougar’s low chuckle and the warmth that flowed through the bond made Jensen relax for a moment before Roque’s voice shot his calm to hell.

“I’m passing him up now and if Cougar could do it, you’d better be able to,” Roque muttered as he raised the Colonel by the grip that they’d constructed from their clothes.

Jensen reached back and caught the man, pulling him level with him and the scent of blood slammed into him like a tidal wave. He didn’t even realize he was growling until a sharp spike in the bond made him aware of the shouting going on around him. Michael’s voice was the loudest of all and when he snapped back to himself Jensen realized that he could taste blood that wasn’t his own on his tongue.

“Jensen, pass him up. Come on we’re almost there don’t fuck this up now,” Michael growled and Jensen clenched his eyes shut as his wolf urged him to bite and rip and fucking take. This human wasn’t part of their pack, they had no obligation to him, he was nothing but a meal….

Suddenly the hand gripping the Colonel was covered by another and Jensen’s eyes shot open only to meet the obsidian ones that were set in his mate’s face.

“They trust us and I will help you,” Cougar whispered, his fingers tightening around Jensen’s as they forced his hand higher, closer to where Michael was reaching for him. “You can do this, amor. Pass him to your uncle,” Cougar whispered and Jensen shuddered at the feelings of pride and love that radiated across their bond.

“You’re the greatest, you know that right?” he asked, forcing the wolf back even as it snarled at him and Cougar smiled just as Michael grasped the Colonel, pulling him upwards. The weight that was lifted off Jensen was both physical and mental as the wolf subsided uneasily now that it’s prey was out of reach.

"If I am the greatest, as you say, then I deserve the best," Carlos responded and Jensen shot him a tiny grin as Michael vanished over the edge of the hole.  A moment later his uncle was back reaching a hand out to help them up.

*O*

Michael kept a wary eye on Jensen and Cougar once they got topside. Trevor had Clay slung over his shoulder and while the man’s bleeding had slowed the erratic breathing and heartbeat didn’t help reassure Michael at all. He opened his mouth to tell the others that they needed to get moving when a loud howl rolled through the compound, ringing in the silence that had fallen over their group. Michael didn’t recognize the voice but it sure as hell wasn’t Pooch and it made his wolf perk up in a way that it only did around Trevor and……

“Julio.”

Jensen’s voice made Michael snap around. “What?” he demanded but Jensen didn’t get the chance to respond as Julio barrelled into the room, wild eyes passing over them as he skidded to a stop.

“Hey, buddy.” Jensen greeted but Julio just bared his teeth at him and when Jensen snarled right back Michael pushed his way between the two of them.

“Julio, what happened?” Michael asked, keeping his voice low and calm even when the man’s eyes flickered to black then back to their familiar grey.

Julio opened his mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth before he backpedalled turning and racing back the way he came.

“That just happened, right?” Trevor demanded but Michael didn’t have time to respond as he chased after Julio.

*O*

Julio’s wolf snarled, fighting against the influence that his human mind had on their body. There was nothing but rage and need coursing through his body and the world around him had dissolved into a kaleidoscope of smells that the wolf broke into two categories; enemy or friend. There was no grey area in the wolf’s mind and that terrified Julio even more than his loss of control over his body.

The wolf tore towards the place where the scents of mates, pack, friend was strongest and for a moment Julio thought that Michael would get through enough for Julio to regain some of the control that he’d lost. But before the alpha’s voice could fully pull the wolf from the dark place that their mind was spiralling towards it got distracted again. This time Julio’s concentration shifted with the wolf even as the two parts of his psyche began to merge, united by the overwhelming sense of hate that the new scent brought with it.

He could feel their body growing in an unfamiliar way, stretching upwards instead of down into his wolf form and the feeling of absolute power that accompanied the change was heady. It made him feel invincible and the next step Julio took was as one with the wolf, their attention locked on the scent that was twisting like a snake leading them further into the compound….Max.

*O*

Jensen barely had time to register Pooch and the strange woman following him as they skidded into the cafeteria.

“Watch the Colonel!” Jensen yelled back as he raced after Cougar who’d taken off after Michael. “Trevor, move your ass!” Jensen ordered when the other wolf hesitated because if they were going to get through to Julio, they were going to need Trevor and Michael especially since Michael alone had only made the man pause for a moment.  Jensen wasn’t going to touch the fact that Julio had the black eyes of an alpha now because he was totally the kettle in the genetic anomaly argument.

It took Jensen a few seconds of running to pick up a familiar scent beneath the wave of aggression that Julio left behind and his lips pulled back as a snarl rumbled through his chest. If Julio was going after Max then he couldn’t be as out of it as he appeared.

Jensen was hoping that was the case, if not the others were going to have their hands full because even as he moved he could feel the dark place, where the feral disease had latched onto his wolf, pulsing at the thought of ripping the man to pieces. A spike of bloodlust that wasn’t his own had him glancing at Cougar just in time to watch the man take one step as a human before his body warped. The change that rushed over his mate was so fast that Jensen almost missed it, Cougar shifted completely into his alpha form between his first step and the second that his other foot hit the ground. The growl that echoed from his mate was raw and guttural just like the feelings coursing through Jensen’s own head and it made him shiver with want, his wolf railing as it tried to copy its mate.

Snorting harshly Jensen let himself fall into the wolf and the feeling of the change washed over him like a freezing tidal wave while his muscles grew, shifting to leave space for the heavier musculature that the wolf brought with it.

Up ahead Julio skidded as he turned the corner, his claws gripping the wall hard enough to send a chunk flying and Michael ducked when the piece of concrete whipped past his head, spraying dust and debris on all of them.  

Cougar made a soft sound that could have been a growl but seeing as the block hadn’t come anywhere near him Jensen wasn’t sure and he glanced at his mate just as Cougar leapt over Michael, his claws digging into the softer material of the walls there as he clambered after Julio.

The moment that Cougar vanished from sight there was a sharp yelp from up ahead and Julio came sailing through the air, slamming into Michael hard enough to send them both tumbling across the floor.  Jensen leapt over the two of them as Michael righted himself, following Cougar’s path and what he saw made his eyes narrow while the fur coating his skin rose.

*O*

Max wasn’t stupid, he’d run the tests for a reason because he knew what could happen if the serum wasn’t right and while he’d often scorned the fear that his kin held for ferals he didn’t exactly want to become one himself but there was little choice now. The loner had obviously caught his scent and while Max did have a contingency plan he’d need time and there was no way that he was going to get….not unless he fought. His lips curled into a sneer as he palmed the only other copy of the serum that Cynthia had taken. There was a chance that it wouldn’t work like he wanted but if nothing else it would give him the boost he required.

Shaking away his insecurities, Max jammed the needle into his arm. His eyes fluttered close as the familiar burning sensation raced through his veins but Max had prepared for this eventuality and the low doses of alpha blood that he already carried in him, soothed the harsher side effects of the serum.

Dropping the empty needle to the ground Max let his wolf free for the first time in years. The beast rushed to the surface, a tidal force of rage and hunger that made Max’s human mind cower for a moment until he managed to focus his attention on the scents approaching him.

Hitting the panel he let the door open as his body shifted and Max exhaled a soft laugh when instead of becoming a wolf he could feel his body lengthening into the alpha form that he’d sought after for so long.

His exuberance was short lived as the loner tore into the room but Max was ready for him. Gripping both side of the door frame, he yanked his knees up and when the pseudo alpha barrelled towards him Max’s clawed feet caught him square in the chest with enough force to knock him off his feet and send him flying back the way he’d come.

The loner vanished through the mouth of the corridor as a low growl echoed from above Max and he glanced up just in time to see another wolf drop from the roof, claws and teeth bared as he hit Max like typhoon, ripping into fur and skin alike.

Max howled as pain raced through him and before his human mind could catch up his wolf was fighting back, trying to drive the alpha back but the wolf fought like the devil himself. Max yelped when he fell face first, his muzzle slamming into the floor hard enough to crack something. Driving his elbow backwards he snarled when the wolf yelped and his hold on Max’s neck slackened enough for him to buck the alpha off his back.

*O*

Cougar caught his balance when the wolf managed to throw him off, shaking away the throbbing pain in his side that meant that the man had probably broken a few of his ribs. Max stumbled to his feet, one clawed hand pressed to the ground to keep his balance while he shook his head, his eyes locked on Cougar as he tried to rise to his feet. A sharp spike of tension in his head made Cougar duck just as Jensen slammed into Max, his blond fur glowing in the fluorescent light above them.

The two alphas rolled across the floor in a tangle of claws while Cougar paced, waiting to lend Jensen assistance because he’d be damned if he was going to let Max get away this time.

Max twisted beneath Jensen while the blond tried to get a proper grip on the alpha’s thrashing body and in the next second Jensen pulled back with a sharp bark of pain as Max’s teeth tore into his left ear, almost severing the appendage. Carlos saw red as Jensen’s fur bled pink where the blood soaked into it.

Launching himself at Max Cougar snarled when the alpha leapt backwards putting the large metal table, that dominated the room, in between them.

Jensen rose to his feet just as Max sent the table flying towards them. Cougar clambered onto the wall ducking out of range of the missile while Jensen caught it head on, the metal screeching where his nails dug into it. The blond alpha pivoted and sent the table sailing towards Max but the other wolf dove out of the way. The table tore through the exterior wall leaving nothing but a gaping hole behind it while Max rounded on them with a low growl.

Cougar shivered as his wolf responded to the threat in the alpha’s voice. The longer he fought the more the cold that came with the feral disease spread through his veins and he knew that they needed to get rid of Max before he forced them beyond their already tenuous level of control. The thought was accompanied by a hair raising growl that caught Max’s attention.

Max’s eyes flickered towards Carlos and Jensen grabbed the distraction with both claws, slamming into the alpha so hard that Max was lifted off his feet. Cougar didn’t wait for the alpha to hit the ground instead he gave gravity a helping hand. Leaping from his perch on the wall he caught Max broadsided, driving them both into the far wall and away from the potential escape route that Jensen had created, in his anger.

The scent of blood and aggression was so thick in the air that fighting with Max was like falling through a haze and Cougar reacted on instinct, parrying each swipe while at all times driving the other alpha backwards. The moments when the rage in Jensen built to shattering point Cougar would duck out of the fight letting his mate take precedence. He couldn’t tell how long they’d been in there but when Michael’s heartbeat shifted closer as if he was about to lend assistance, Max slapped his clawed hand against a panel that was barely visible on the damaged wall and the door to the room that they were in slid close with a resounding clang.  

Max shifted out, his chest heaving as he smiled at them, reopening his split lip in the process. “You might be wondering why I just did what I did,” he started, leaping out of striking distance when Jensen moved towards him. “Let me explain. The serum coursing through Mr. Jensen’s body is one of the my older versions and it had a very unpleasant side effect, that is to say that whenever I introduced a particular compound it would send the ferals into a frenzy…..” at Max’s words Jensen snarled, his entire body shivering as the cold moved from a trickle to a tidal wave that coated them both in mere seconds. “And would you look at that? It’s already starting. Now tell me….” Max trailed off, his eyes shifting to Cougar as he took a step back trying to shake off the sudden wave of rage that bled down his connection with Jensen. Cougar could smell the man’s surprise as his body changed, mimicking the change in Jensen’s own. Instead of falling into the rage flowing through him Cougar let it wash over him, bolstering him and his wolf as he clung to the bonds that kept him sane. His pack bond pulsed and above that the new connection where he had linked to his cub radiated with fear even while his mating bond with Jensen twisted around these connections, shoring them up as the anger rose and ebbed with their every breath.

Jensen took a lumbering step forward, the dark lines around his eyes thickening as he bared his teeth, which seemed to grow sharper with each passing second. “Wrong move,” he growled, his voice a guttural mix of humanity and the darkest depths of the beast that was the wolf.

Max stumbled backwards but froze when he realized that in his distraction Cougar had managed to circle behind him, effectively cutting him off from any chance of escape as Jensen moved closer.

“You don’t get to play God!” Jensen snarled and Cougar backed up the statement with a harsh growl that made Max flinch.

Jensen dropped down onto all fours circling Max counter-clockwise as Cougar completed the circuit in the next direction.

Max scoffed though the scent of his fear was now think in the air. “You think that I’m playing God? When the most important thing to a pack is which cub is going to be an alpha? You think I’m playing God when you get all the power, all the respect because of a genetic anomaly? I do not want to play God, Mr Jensen. I just want to rule you all,” Max snarled, lunging at Cougar in one fluid motion.  

Fur coated the man’s body as he shifted in mid-air and Cougar yelped when Max hit him hard. Cougar kicked out launching the man up and off him at the same time that Jensen rushed them and the blond alpha’s teeth ripped into Max’s arm tearing a jagged strip of fur and flesh free as he shook his head, flinging the man against the wall. The force of the impact sent a spray of dirt and rubble littering down onto Max’s head.

Cougar righted himself as Max rushed them again and this time he ducked low, hitting the man in the legs as Jensen caught Max by the neck. The audible snap that echoed through the room as their forces collided made the wolf howl in delight a sound that escaped Cougar’s throat almost without notice as Max flopped against the far wall. Half of the wolf’s body was hanging from the gaping hole, that Jensen had created,  as he clambered for a grip, trying to haul himself upright.

Cougar rose to his feet, he could feel Jensen at his back and he stood tall as the wounded alpha before him shifted back into his human form. Out in the hall Julio was still out and Cougar could hear his slow heartbeat over the thundering ones echoing from Michael and Trevor.

“You know there aren’t many people who I can truly say that I hate…” Max started, wiping away the blood dripping from his lip and Cougar bared his teeth in satisfaction as he caught sight of the wounds that littered the man’s body, ignoring the sound that meant that Jensen had followed the man’s actions and changed back too. “…but I can say without a doubt that I would like to see you all die….slowly.”

“Sorry, dude,” Jensen replied. “It looks like you’re out of luck.”

Max’s lips pulled into a tight smile. “You are right, Mr. Jensen. I might not be able to see you die today,” he murmured pulling himself upright and Cougar prowled forwards just as the sound of a helicopter caught his attention just as Max’s grin widened. “But you won’t see me die either,” the man finished and Cougar lunged at him at the same moment that Max flung himself backwards. The roar of the helicopter grew for a second and Cougar barely managed to grip the window, preventing himself from going out the hole after the man as the helicopter rose into view, revealing Max clinging to a rope ladder as the helicopter sped off into the distance.

“Motherfucker!” Jensen snarled as the helicopter vanished from sight.

Cougar shifted out, grabbing Jensen’s arm when his mate ventured closer to the hole. “Don’t,” he warned, digging his nails in until the madness receded from his mate’s mind. “We will find him but now the pack needs us, our cub needs us.”

Jensen bowed his head, his body shuddering beneath Cougar’s hand until he pulled back. “You’re right,” Jensen admitted, licking his lips as he glanced at Cougar and the smaller alpha held still as Jensen pressed a bloodied hand to his cheek. “We’d better blow this popsicle stand and get Julio and Clay some help.”

Cougar nodded, glancing at the skies one last time before following Jensen as he moved away from the wall. They would find Max because nothing could hide from a wolf forever.

*O*

Michael skidded to a stop beside Carmen as he took in the rag-tag group lumbering towards them.  Jake and Carlos were barely dressed which probably meant that they’d had to shift in their clothes leaving the garments little more than tatters that hung loosely around them. Roque was in much better shape and Pooch was still in his wolf form so Mark couldn’t tell if the man had been recently injured though there was no scent of blood clinging to Pooch’s dark fur.

Michael was walking between the four, a young man cradled in his arms while another strange wolf walked by his side and the way that his brother’s eyes kept flickering between the two made Mark want to laugh because only Michael would end up finding not one mate but two. The dark haired wolf at Michael’s side was carrying a human on his back, the man’s eyes dazed as he stared at them.

Carmen tensed when she caught sight of the man in Michael’s arms and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that meant.

Stepping forward Mark smiled at his son as Jake drew closer but the expression froze as he caught the scent of a feral intertwined with both Jake and Carlos’ scent.

His son didn’t let his expression deter him as he stopped in front of the hunting group.

“You guys got here a bit late. Our villain kind of got away,” Jensen offered up softly and Mark could hear the tension in his son’s voice as Carlos leaned into his side, ducking his head to avoid Jose’s eyes.

Jose frowned. “You are safe now that is what is important,” he pointed out and Mark nodded, cutting across Jake when his son opened his mouth to speak.

“Whatever happened we’ll deal with it after,” he stated firmly, glancing at Carmen. He could feel the bond between him and Jake quivering with fear and something else that he couldn’t put his finger on and he knew that this was a conversation that needed to be had out of the earshot of the other pack no matter how helpful they’d been.

Jake nodded in understanding, his fingers curling around Carlos’ own in a move so familiar that Mark couldn’t keep himself from stepping forward and pulling both young men into his arms. Inhaling, he captured the ever present scent of pack that permeated their skin while Jose stepped forward, resting a hand on Carlos’ shoulder. “You two have got a helluva lot to explain starting with that little girl that you left behind but you got all of your team out alive and that’s enough for now. You can tell us what happened after you’ve all been looked at,” Mark whispered and Jake glanced at him, for a second a faint shadow that looked like veins rose to the surface of the skin around Jake’s eyes but they were gone before Mark could react and he exhaled slowly keeping his expression and his scent calm until Jake nodded.

He was going to have to take his own advice and wait until later to get the explanation that he wanted.

*O*

Jodi heard them before she saw them and she guessed that the cub in her arms did as well because the baby twisted around, making soft inquiring noises as her eyes scanned the tree line until she saw them.

Mark and Jose broke the tree line first, closely followed by Michael and Jodi’s eyes flickered over the young man in her uncle’s arm before a flash of blond, in the wall of wolves emerging from the trees, caught her eye.

Jake looked older, it was the only way that Jodi could describe his appearance because ripped clothing and bloody skin was fairly common amongst wolves but her brother’s shoulders were hunched in like he was trying to make himself seem smaller than he actually was. Jodi almost completely missed Carlos, the man had been walking in Jake’s shadow, and the same weariness was written across her brother-in-law’s face but not even that deterred the child that she was holding.

The baby began squirming, reaching for both men and Jodi could see the moment that Jake noticed them because some of the weight seemed to lift from his shoulders.

“Hey, June bug,” Jake greeted as he drew closer and Jodi bit back the sharp sob that wanted to work its way out of her because Jake was fine….everyone was fine and she wasn’t going to give in to the ‘weeping woman’ stereotype in front of a pack of unfamiliar wolves.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat Jodi fought the instinctive urge to step away when the scent of feral, wrong, feral hit her but Jake’s natural scent overrode the unpleasant one burning at her nose and it took her a minute to realize that the smell was coming from her brother and Carlos.

Her wolf lurched in her chest urging her to bare her teeth at the abomination but she couldn’t because this was Jake, her brother who’d been by her side every step of her life and she’d be damned if she let instincts make her turn away from him now.

Jake paused just out of arm’s reach and Jodi could see the tension all but vibrating in Carlos’ muscles as he watched them both, his eyes flitting from Jodi’s face to the baby in her arms. The longing hidden in the dark depths made Jodi’s heart twist and when the little girl whimpered again Jodi forced herself to take the first step forward, then another and another until she was squashed against Jake’s chest. This close to her brother she could smell the feral scent receding like the ebbing flow of the tides and as Jake’s arms wrapped around her Jodi just breathed, taking in everything that made up her older brother.

The baby squealed, clutching at Jake’s chest with tiny claws as Jake released Jodi from their tight embrace and Jake chuckled softly accepting the child into his arms.

“Hey, pretty, did you miss me?” he cooed and Jodi couldn’t help the tears that pricked at the corner of her eyes when the baby all but purred while she tried to curl herself into Jake’s chest.

Carlos finally stepped closer and the movement drew the toddler’s gaze because she was instantly reaching for him, a steady flow of unintelligible babble flowing from her lips when Carlos came close enough for her to curl her fingers in his dark hair.

Jake’s eyes softened as he glanced down at the baby then back to Carlos and Jodi rubbed her hand across her face, erasing any trace of her tears. The smile on her face made her cheeks hurt but she couldn’t fight it back not when her family was ok.

Clearing her throat, she pushed away the overwhelming happiness building in her chest as her wolf settled. “So how the hell do you leave on a mission and come back with a kid?” she demanded and Jake snorted, one hand going to his nape as Carlos took the baby, pressing small kisses to her dark head of curls.

“You know when mom said I was a trouble magnet and I totally argued her out of it because I’m not a trouble magnet, trouble just happens to fall into my lap frequently,” Jake muttered, glancing back at Carlos who allowed a small smile to flit across his usually stoic face. “Well you can think of this one as trouble that I think I’m going to be appreciating for years to come.”

Jodi cocked her brow at his response as her mind flitted to Beth she couldn’t help but agree with Jake’s words.

*O*

Julio awoke to a wall of warmth and a mixture of scents that made his wolf want to purr and snap at the same time. Opening his eyes slowly Julio slammed them shut when the first thing he saw was Michael’s face looming over him.

“Ok, can’t say I’ve ever had that reaction before,” the alpha scoffed and Julio cracked one of his eyes open as the man’s presence moved out of his immediate personal space. A soft chuckle from the other side of the room had him turning his head just in time to watch Trevor emerge from the shadows that he’d been standing in.

“I told you to give him space,” the other wolf admonished the Jensen alpha but Michael just shrugged.

“W-where am I?” Julio croaked out, swallowing to clear his throat before Trevor passed him a glass of water off of the table that he hadn’t noticed.

“How much do you remember?” Michael asked, perching on the edge of the bed as Julio raised himself into a sitting position.

“I remember getting shot then nothing,” Julio answered as he glanced around the room.

Michael nodded. “It seems that Max actually perfected the serum he’d been working on and you got the first dose of it, which was good for your alpha status but not so good for your wolf. You attacked Max and he knocked you out….or less knocked you out and more like used your temporary weakness to his advantage.”

“Did you get him?” Julio asked and the way that both men’s expression closed off was answer enough. “Oh, then why are you in here?”

Trevor grinned at that as he sat on the other side of the bed and suddenly Julio felt trapped between a rock and a hard place.  “We weren’t sure how the serum would make you react when you woke so we figured that having us here would help….” he trailed off, head cocked to the side as his eyes roamed over Julio’s body.

“….seeing as we’re your potential bondmates and all,” Michael added and Julio froze. His wolf was a churning sea of confusion that ranged from want to fear but these two wolves were looking at him like he’d hung the very stars in the sky and Julio wanted to be wanted so badly that he could almost scent his own desperation on the air.

“You don’t have to give us a decision now but it would be good if you at least considered the option of forming a bond with us,” Trevor whispered, one finger tracing over Julio’s folded hands and the new alpha dropped his eyes to follow the gesture.

“I do not think that I’d be able to be part of an alpha pairing…and you would have each other even if I said no,” Julio pointed out and his wolf whined, twisting restlessly beneath his skin because they were familiar with this. They had experience with not being enough, it was why their mother hadn’t tried to stop them when they left the pack and it was why they had stayed on their own for so long.

“We would have each other,” Michael confirmed as he pressed against Julio’s side, his breath warm heat at the man’s neck and Julio bared his teeth in an involuntary growl as the new part of him snapped at this alpha invading his space. Michael pulled back with a smirk like he’d done what he wanted. “But that little reaction there says you won’t have damn problem putting us in our place if we overstep our bounds.”

“We want you, Julio,” Trevor whispered, drawing Julio’s attention to him while Michael ran a hand along the younger man’s arm.

“Just say yes,” Michael added, his voice husky with intent and Julio swallowed hard as the scent of arousal clouded the air around them.

“Give us a chance…..” Trevor cut in, his lips pressing a wet path up Julio’s neck.

“Please?” Michael pleaded and Julio’s wolf whined as it fell.

“Yes,” Julio choked out and twin chuckles sounded in the room as the men pressed him back onto the bed.


	18. Chapter 18

Jensen let Carlos curl around him in the strange room that Carmen had given them. Their little girl was sleeping peacefully on her stomach, fingers curled tightly in the sheets. Every few seconds she tugged on the bond as if to confirm that both of them were still there with her.

“It’s fucking scary how much I love her already,” Jensen whispered into his mate’s hair and Cougar hummed in agreement because the little girl was steadily becoming a foundation that they both relied on to keep the encroaching darkness from capturing their minds.

“She helps as do you,” Cougar responded as he raised his head, rubbing his nose against Jensen’s in an Eskimo kiss.

“I’m sorry I got you involved in all of this,” Jensen muttered, his eyes flickering to the bed when the baby shifted in her sleep leaving a blonde cub in the place of the human toddler who’d just occupied the space.

“I am not,” Cougar retorted, his fingers curling in Jensen’s hair, yanking on the longer strands. “I would not give you up for anything.”

Jensen snorted but his eyes moved to meet Cougar’s. His mate’s expression was deadly serious and one of his hands dropped to Jensen’s shoulder as he moved so that he was straddling Jensen’s lap properly.

“When we were cubs mi abuela used to tell us an old Cherokee story of ayoung man of the tribe who struggled to control his temper. She said an elder spoke to the young man, telling him his anger was understandable because each of us has two wolves inside us: a good, loving wolf and an evil, hateful wolf. The good wolf is loyal, brave, lives in harmony, provides for the pack, strives for justice and will fight only when it is the right thing to do. The evil wolf has no loyalty, acts without consideration for others, perpetuates injustice and attacks because it finds violent joy in anger, destruction and despair. The evil wolf attacks the good wolf all the time. But the two wolves are fairly well matched and neither can get rid of the other completely. ‘So which wolf will win in the end?’ the young man asked. Do you know the elder’s response?”

Jensen shook his head, unsure of where Cougar was going with the story.

“The elder told him that the wolf that would win was ‘the one you feed the most,’” Cougar informed him. “If you feed your doubts then they will win but if you believe that we will become more than this, it will make us stronger and we will rise above it.”

“Your abuela sounds like a really cool person,” Jensen murmured after a long moment of silence. “And look, I’m not saying that I won’t try but I need you to understand that I might fail. I mean I freaking attacked you, Cougs, my own bondmate. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”

“And you stopped yourself.” Cougar reminded him. “It will not be perfect but I think that we can do this. You must believe in us, mi amor.” Cougar whispered.

Jensen swallowed and leaned forward, resting his forehead against Cougar’s. “What was your grandmother’s name?” he asked.

Cougar frowned at the change of subject but didn’t pull away. “Estela,” he responded and Jensen grinned so suddenly that Carlos pulled back in confusion.

“Estela….” Jensen repeated, rolling the name over on his tongue before glancing at the bed where their cub was still fast asleep. “It’s a good name, right?”

Cougar nodded as he caught onto his mate’s train of thought. “It is….it means star.”

Jensen laughed softly at that, pulling Cougar back towards him so that he could press a gentle kiss to his mate’s lips. “And stars are surrounded by darkness but they’re never overshadowed by it.” Jensen mused, nodding to himself. “I think we can do this…..not because of me but if I’ve got the two of you, I think that I can be what the pack needs and as long as we’ve got her to protect we’ll fight against this thing until there’s nothing left.”

The smile that spread across Cougar’s face at the words made something warm settle in Jensen’s chest. Before he could say anything else Cougar was dipping down to capture his lips in a kiss that was anything but child friendly, sharp teeth nipping at Jensen’s lower lip until the blond gasped allowing Cougar’s tongue to dip inside his mouth. By the time Cougar pulled back Jensen was hard as a rock and more than a little bit dazed.

“Not that I’m complaining because I’m definitely not complaining but what was that for?” Jensen babbled.

Cougar just grinned as he rested his head against Jensen’s again. “It was for being you.”

Jensen gaped then smiled. “Ok…I’m not sure I deserved that but I’ll take it.”

*O*

Mark and Jose sat with the council of Spanish alpha wolves neither man betraying a hint of what they were thinking through scent or expression.

Mark’s eyes scanned the group steadily before settling on Carmen when she shifted in her seat.

“Your sons are ferals,” the woman stated and Mark cocked a brow at her because if this was how she was opening these talks then he could see it going downhill very quickly.

“Jake admits to having been infected with the serum that creates the feral state but it would be wise to remember that your son was also affected with a serum very close in composition to the one used on Jake.” Mark responded.

Carmen waved him off. “Julio does not reek of ferals.”

“Do not bring me into this.”

The new voice had the wolves turning as Julio stepped into the council room.

“You are part of this if you wish to be or not.” Carmen retorted, her eyes narrowing. “You’re an alpha now and…..”

Julio snorted, stepping further into the room and Mark’s nostrils flared as he focused on the mixed scents that coated the young alpha’s body.  “If you think that I will come running back simply because my status has changed then you’re more foolish than I thought,” he chuckled bitterly. “My allegiance is to my mates, mother…surely you remember what that is like, choosing others over your own family?”

Carmen gaped but Julio gave her no time to recover as he continued. “Jensen was infected with the feral disease and it did change him but he had the chance to attack me and he didn’t…he had the chance to attack the human Colonel that they were helping and he didn’t. Michael has told me that the feral disease doesn’t react to bonded wolves because they shunt the symptoms between each other until the entire disease is controllable and I truly believe that Jensen and Cougar can handle this,” Julio finished. Mark would have applauded him if it wasn’t for the fact that it would be completely unprofessional.

An unfamiliar alpha cleared his throat, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Julio. “And you think that we should put aside the rule that no feral should live on our grounds simply on your say-so?”

Before Julio could respond Mark cut in because this was getting out of hand. “I apologise for any inconvenience that our misfortune has cost you,” he responded sharply and the alpha flinched from the wintery quality of his tone. “But you would do well to remember that the team that our sons led single-handedly took down the very wolf that you were too frightened to go after. I would also like you to remember that they are no longer alone here.”

Carmen leaned forward, her eyes darting from Julio’s cold expression to the blank one on Michael’s face. “Is that a threat, Alpha Jensen?”

Mark leaned back in his seat as Jose smiled, flashing too sharp teeth in the dim light of the room. “It is only a threat if you wish for it to be,” the man responded.

Mark smirked because he couldn’t have put it better himself.

*O*

Jensen held Cougar’s free hand as the van they were in pulled into their pack’s compound. Mark shut off the engine and glanced back at them but Jensen shook his head at his dad, shooting the man a small smile and like so many times before his dad got what he needed without hearing the words. Mark nodded at him before stepping from the vehicle. Up ahead, Jensen could see Michael leading Trevor, Julio and Clay, who had one arm draped over Roque’s shoulder, towards the infirmary. For some reason Roque was the only person that the Colonel would accept assistance from without blowing up. No one was sure what all that was about but they weren’t complaining because Clay was healing, at a human rate which would have sent Jensen climbing the walls but the fact that the man was healing was good enough for them.

Pooch was wrapped around Jolene, her dark hair hiding his face from view as he breathed in her scent and the scene made Jensen’s chest ache but this was nothing like the horrid blackness that lingered just beyond the familiar sense of his wolf so he accepted it without a fight. He’d brought these men, his friends, with him on this mission and they’d all known that there was a possibility that they wouldn’t make it home but for some reason the reality of the danger had seemed so far away until now. There were moments when he’d been sure that it was too late for him but Jensen had always clung to the childish hope that the others would be fine….it was the only thing that had kept him semi-sane when everything went to hell in a handbasket.

Cougar’s hand resting on his pulled Jensen from his thoughts.  “We are ok,” his mate whispered and Cougar’s voice was like a cool balm spreading over Jensen’s psyche, washing away the stains of fear and desperation that had started to claw their way up out of his chest.

Jensen glanced across at Cougar, reaching out to brush his thumb over the high rise of Cougar’s cheeks before dropping his hand to tangle his fingers in Estella’s dark curls. “I know that, well my normal brain knows that but the part of me that’s the worrier….it worries that’s kind of what it does because we didn’t freaking catch Max which means that he’s somewhere out there and I made you a promise. Just one damn promise and I couldn’t even keep it, instead I got us both infected with this thing that’s the equivalent of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and I don’t…..”

“Jensen, calle la boca, por favor,” Cougar interrupted and Jensen’s mouth snapped shut as Cougar leaned closer, pressing their cheeks together so that his breath ghosted against Jensen’s ear. “I am proud of you and they will be as well, comprende?”

Jensen nodded slowly. “Yeah, no more being a scaredy cat, right?”

“I did not mate with a feline and I deserve the best,” Cougar murmured and Jensen laughed softly, the smile staying on his face as Cougar pulled away and reached for the van door.

Jensen followed Cougar out into the dim light of the evening and as he watched the wolves milling around him he realized that Cougar had a point. None of the wolves shied away from them even though his father had reported what had happened back to the pack and when Beth ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his leg in greeting Jensen’s smile grew. He wasn’t perfect but then again he’d never been perfect, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t keep fighting to be better and as soon as he got more of a handle on the disease coursing through his veins Max would get what was coming to him.

*O*

Max tapped his fingers against the seat of the plane he was in, a placid smile pasted onto his face as another beta glanced at him, her nostrils flaring. The serum had worked to an extent but Max required more research before he could truly know what he’d become.

The confrontation with the Jensen pack had just served to show him how unprepared he had been. If a handful of wolves could take down not one but two of his facilities almost overnight then his security was laughable in its incompetency.  

Then there was the matter of the blond alpha’s ability to hold back the virus….it was food for thought. Max needed to understand what the alpha had done, how he’d neutralized the serum and that would mean that he’d have to reacquire  the specimen but first he needed a new base. Baby steps, after all he had time and Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Max grinned at the thought, settling back into his seat. The Jensen pack hadn’t seen the last of him…not by a longshot.

*O*

Cougar stared at the pendant that he’d been working on while his mate slept. It was a simple thing that he’d started as a cub and in truth he’d never truly expected to give it to anyone but as he glanced at where Jensen was curled around Estela, her dark curls standing out against Jensen’s bare chest he couldn’t help but think that it was perfect. Just like the man who had come to mean so much to him, the pendant was a mixture of complexity and simplicity that blended together into something not just breathtaking but also durable.

It hadn’t been easy for them after they’d returned. There were times that he could feel Jensen’s mind falling back into the dark place where his doubts lingered and where the feral disease hid but the blond had never let it consume him just like Carlos had bit his own tongue on occasions when all he wanted to do was lash out at those around them.  

The council from their parents helped but it wasn’t always enough and sometimes the dark’s call grew louder than either of them could block out by themselves but they managed….together.

Turning his attention back to the pendant, Cougar scrutinized the thing.

The majority of the necklace was created from a simple strip of leather that had been folded in half. His abuela had told him that sometimes the sturdiest things could be made from the simplest of materials and as the cord had lasted until now Cougar had to agree. The cords themselves were attached to an end coil with had been tightened and then fixed to a clasp.

His abuela had used larks head knots to attach the leather to the copper washers that she’d allowed Cougar to colour with flames. A small smile tugged at Cougar’s lips as he recalled the way that she’d watched him, like a wolf guarding fresh venison, every time he used the torch.

Years later he’d added the beads. The first that had caught his eye were the bone tube beads, those he’d found when he’d accompanied his mother to the flea market. At seventeen he hadn’t had a clue what to do with them and his abuela had claimed that he needed to make the rest of the gift on his own. Finally he’d found the tiger eyes and it had all come together in his head. Using wires he’d attached the bone tube beads to the leather before stringing the wires through the tiger eyes and binding the entire thing together.

The last piece was something that he’d had since he was a child. The pendant was a gift from his tio. The alpha had apparently received it from Jensen’s grandfather after their first meeting had ended and Cougar couldn’t think of a better place to put the thing than on Jensen’s mating gift.

The final product was something that Carlos was extremely proud. Though he still had no idea how he was actually going to give it to Jensen.

Spreading the necklace wide across the table before him, Cougar rested his chin against his knees, eyes drooping as the sleep that he’d been missing out on clawed at him. His lack of sleep was probably the reason why he missed the tiny spike of awareness in the bond and he started when arms wrapped around him only to relax as Jensen’s familiar scent wove its way through his senses. His state of calm didn’t last long because Jensen reached out with one hand, poking at the necklace while he slid into the seat. Once he was settled the blond pulled Cougar back against him though Carlos could tell the Jensen’s attention was still on the necklace.

“This is nice,” Jensen commented absentmindedly, his fingers brushing against the pendant. “Really nice. Who’s it for?”

For a split second Cougar considered lying but that would be stupid because Jensen would feel and smell his deception. Sighing he reached out and pulled the necklace closer. “It is for you, it was meant as a surprise.”

Jensen fell silent but the sharp increase of happiness and the way that the blond seemed to all but melt into Cougar’s skin spoke of his pleasure in a way that no words truly could. “It’s not my birthday and I don’t think you’re bribing me but if you are this is one helluva bribe, let me tell you that much. With something like this you could even get me to do the laundry without all those ‘no nookie’ threats. Not that I believe those threats anyway because your libido isn’t exactly what we’d call low-key, more like horny all the time. But I’m not complaining about that either because a day when I can’t sex you up is a bad day….a really bad day. Like that time when we ran out of chocolate and Jodi almost committed mutiny.”

Cougar huffed, his mate’s babbling tended to annoy some people but he would never cease to find it endearing. “It is your mating gift. A way to say te amo.”

Jensen’s exhale was sharp in the silence that followed Cougar’s statement and the Spaniard reached back to card a hand through the blond’s hair when Jensen pressed his face to Cougar’s neck. “You know, I can’t believe that at first I was so against an arranged mating, to think that I would’ve missed all of this. And that didn’t come out right but you get what I mean, right? I’m trying to say that how much I love you kind of terrifies me,” Jensen finished on a whisper and Cougar blinked hard trying to get out whatever had gotten into his eyes because that was the only reason to explain the added moisture there.  “We’ll be ok,” Jensen added and Cougar nodded, their fingers twining around the necklace.

“We will be better than ok,” he responded and he could feel Jensen’s smile against his skin because that was a prediction that they would both fight to ensure.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snippets detailing the trials and tribulations of being a parent by one Jake Jensen...or the times that Cougar noticed how much of a child his mate actually was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Cougars_catnip for the read through.
> 
> These will detail the happenings between this story and the sequel.

Jensen  wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve this but clearly some evil had been committed in a past life because that was the only way to explain why he’d let his daughter be harmed….the worst part of it was that Cougar was supporting said hurting of their angel.

“She is being immunized, not drawn and quartered,” Carlos huffed, as he settled Estela on his hip but Jensen wasn’t listening to a word he said. As far as he was concerned anything that involved needles and his baby was mutiny and Cougar was a traitor to the cause.

He could feel Cougar’s mental eye roll through their bond and Jensen shot him a sour look. His mate just ignored him, pressing a kiss to the daughter’s dark curls. “Su papa es un idota,” Cougar whispered and their baby girl giggled because she didn’t know the horrors that were awaiting her inside the doctor’s office.

Jensen didn’t see the sense in bringing her here in the first place, after all Estela was a wolf and she’d heal from almost anything. He’d said as much but his mom and Jodi shot him down while Cougar smirked like the traitorous traitor that he was.

Before Jensen could start up a new argument Anthony’s door swung open and Cougar was already stepping into the little room, leaving Jensen with no option but to follow…albeit reluctantly.

Estela cooed at Anthony, she was familiar with the man after the battery of tests that he’d done to ensure that her time in captivity hadn’t damaged her in any way.

“And how’s my favourite princess doing today?” Anthony greeted her, taking her offered hand in his.

“She’d rather not be here, the only person who actually wants to be here is Cougar and that’s because he’s evil in ways that I’m just beginning to notice,” Jensen muttered.

Anthony shook his head as he released Estela and moved to where his supplies (torture tools) were arranged. “Jensen, you’re a grown wolf don’t you think it’s time you got over this animosity towards needles?”

“I’m not scared of needles, I’m just of the opinion that little kids don’t need to be exposed to them…ever,” Jensen huffed.

The sound that Anthony made was one of utter disbelief but Jensen ignored that, watching the man like a hawk as he moved towards Estela with a needle that had no right to look so deadly.

This wasn’t going to end well, it was going to be horrible and he was going to have a panic attack and Jodi would laugh. Fuck being an alpha or an Enforcer, he didn’t think his heart could take the strain of it all……

“And we’re done with not even a peep from the little princess,” Anthony exclaimed and Jensen frowned as he glanced at Estela who was glaring at Anthony like he’d betrayed her. The doctor quickly remedied that by producing a red lollipop which Estela accepted as her due.  “Ok, so she’s all up to date now, just keep bringing her to her check-ups and you’ll be fine.”

“Gracias,” Cougar responded as he shifted Estela to his other hip. “Come, Jensen.”

*O*

Jensen wasn’t sure _how_ he got outside and they were halfway to their suite of rooms before he snapped out of the trance he’d fallen into.

“Wait, she got the injection?” he demanded.

“Si,” Cougar responded, watching warily as Estela waved her lollipop dangerously close to his unbound hair.

“And she didn’t cry?” Jensen asked and Cougar shot him a look that said that he was debating his life choices.

“No,” he finally replied.

“Cougs, do you know what this means?” Jensen inquired, staring at Estela in awe.

Cougar raised a brow but didn’t say a word not that Jensen needed prompting because the world needed to know this information!

“Our baby girl is a badass!” Jensen exclaimed.

This time Cougar did roll his eyes. “Be thankful that she did not take after you,”

“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean? Cougar, don’t walk away from me….I can hear you thinking. I’m not a coward, those needles were huge!”

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These are the moments that Jensen would cherish forever.

Cougar didn’t often like Jensen’s musical choices and maybe that had something to do with the fact that Jensen’s taste in music much like his taste in clothes ran towards flashy and impossible to not notice. Cougar would much rather listen to the soft broken melodies of some unknown Jazz and Blues artist, so Jensen was understandably surprised when he could hear the soft strands of what he was certain was _his_ music playing the closer to the rooms he got.

Pushing the door open slowly Jensen grinned when he realized that Cougar had found his James Blunt folder.  Dropping his backpack onto the floor Jensen headed for the living room where the music was coming from, his nose twitching as he identified the familiar scent of Cougar threaded through with Estela’s.

Pausing in the doorway Jensen held his breath at the sight before him. He knew that the slightest move on his part could shatter the moment and after all they’d been through Jensen clung to times like these, seconds when he could just watch his family, his mate and his cub.

Cougar for his part didn’t seem to notice Jensen’s presence as he swayed to the soft lyrics of the singer, his dark curls brushing his shoulders and Jensen could see a chubby fist gripping a few strands even as Estela pressed her face against Cougar’s neck. Her breath rustled the strands closest to her nose and her cheeks were still flushed with the fever she’d had all week. While Jensen watched Carlos shifted Estela from one shoulder to the other, hushing the little girl when she stirred before resuming the soft rocking as he crooned the words along with James Blunt ‘You have been the one, you have been the one for me,” and as Jensen watched it all he couldn’t help but agree.


	21. Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So sexy,” Jensen muttered groggily and Cougar snorted again because sometimes his mate was like a dog with a bone….. or a wolf with a bone but he was Cougar’s wolf and he loved him.

Jensen was lying on their bed half asleep by the time Cougar decided to give up on the hopes that he could get Estela to sleep in her new room. Instead he’d left their daughter in her old crib where Estela had promptly shifted into a small blond wolf cub that had a streak of dark fur running along her spine before spreading out like a starfish in a move that Cougar knew their daughter had learned from Jensen.

Sighing Cougar pulled his t-shirt over his head, he knew that Jensen had been waiting on him. It hadn’t taken a rocket scientist to figure that when Jensen decided to wear his ‘Lick it’ t-shirt it was less of a statement and more of an order. Cougar had rolled his eyes at his lover and turned back to trying to reason with Estela….who had once again proven that she was as stubborn as both her fathers combined.

Dropping the shirt in the laundry basket, Cougar slipped off his sweat pants before crawling onto the bed.

Jensen blinked sleepily as Cougar straddled him but managed to leer even though he was mostly asleep, it was an almost automatic reaction but even after almost a year together Cougar couldn’t help the shiver that worked its way up his spine when Jensen looked at him like that.

Leaning forward Cougar pressed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss as Jensen hummed happily. His hands came up to cradle Cougar’s hips while he pulled his mate closer and Cougar went easily, shifting so that their lips and hips were pressed together. Warm air brushed against Cougar’s lips as Jensen exhaled and his tongue flickered out to wet his lips.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” Jensen whispered and Cougar chuckled as he shifted his hips forward in a slow smooth roll that rubbed their cocks together. Not even the layers of clothing between them could prevent the pleased rumbled that rolled from his chest when Jensen tangled a hand in his hair pulling him closer as the blond nipped at his lower lip.

The bond unfurled slowly, moving just as glacial as the slow burn of heat in Cougar’s blood while Jensen thrust upwards again, forcing him to ride out the motion even as he pulled away on a gasp.

“So hot and all mine.” Jensen growled, his wolf colouring his tone.

 Cougar laughed as he straightened, bracing his hands on Jensen’s shoulder while he rocked his hips faster.

“Only one that would have me,” Cougar gritted out when Jensen dipped his free hand beneath his boxer’s clutching at Cougar’s ass as he moved to meet each of his mate’s thrusts.

“They’re all idiots and now I get you all to myself,” Jensen shot back and Cougar didn’t even argue as he moved faster. His arousal had been a slow burn in the back of his mind all morning and now that he was focusing on it he could feel the end rushing to meet him faster than he’d expected.

Dipping down again he captured Jensen’s lips with his own as his eyes slammed shut…not saying the words he wanted to but Jensen knew how he felt….could feel the love that Cougar couldn’t put into words pouring through the bond and it was enough for them…..

Jensen whined against Cougar’s lips as the bond pulled taut. Need and want rose in waves that seemed to pool at the base of Cougar’s spine before racing upwards as Jensen pulled at his hair forcing him to break the kiss so that the blond could press his mouth to the skin at Cougar’s neck. Sharp teeth scrapping but never breaking the fragile barrier of his skin and Cougar growled, his claws digging into the pillow on either side of Jensen’s head as the bond vibrated with tension. Then like a rubber band stretched too far it snapped, hurtling Cougar and Jensen head long into their orgasm and he barely remembered to muffle his snarls of pleasure as he collapsed against Jensen’s heaving chest.

“So sexy,” Jensen muttered groggily and Cougar snorted again because sometimes his mate was like a dog with a bone….. or a wolf with a bone but he was Cougar’s wolf and he loved him.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dude, sex with you should come with a warning,”

Cougar’s back hit the far wall, startling a groan out of him as Jensen mouthed at his neck, too sharp teeth scraping against the sensitive skin as the blond worried the spot where his claim mark was emblazoned against Cougar’s tan.

The fingers clutching at Jensen’s shoulder curled tighter when his mate rolled his hips forward, grinding into the cradle of Cougar’s thighs and Jensen hissed when Cougar’s claws broke through the fragile barrier of human skin.

“Fuck, we can’t ever do this without bloodshed,” Jensen gritted out but he didn’t sound displeased so Cougar just shifted, locking his legs for leverage as he writhed against Jensen’s cock.

Cougar bared his teeth in a sharp snarl when Jensen’s dick rubbed against his prostate, his head falling back against the wall as Jensen nipped at the skin at his collar bone while his fingers dug into Cougar’s legs.  The move pressed the cold pendant of his mating necklace against Cougar’s chest and the Spaniard gasped when Jensen let go of one of his legs to brace himself against the wall only to start up a fast, hard rhythm that made Cougar’s wolf roil with pleasure.

“Dios!” Cougar breathed quietly but Jensen’s dark chuckle told him that his mate had heard the exclamation.

“We’ve had this conversation before.” Jensen growled taking a step closer to the wall so that Cougar had enough leverage to keep himself up when the blond moved his other hand from his mate’s leg to his cock.  “You can call me that or Jensen, I really don’t mind,” he teased as he loosened the grip that he had on Cougar’s cock until the man could barely feel it. Jensen glanced up when Cougar growled in frustration, blue eyes meeting Cougar’s before the dark haired wolf’s eyes fell close as Jensen’s fingers tightened, his hand copying the rhythm that his hips had set.

Gritting his teeth Cougar flung the bond open, gasping at the feedback. Jensen’s pleasure bled into his own and Cougar used his grip on Jensen’s hair to force the blond’s head up so that he could press their lips together.

What came next was too feral to be called a kiss as Cougar nipped at Jensen’s lips, licking away the blood that flowed forward when his teeth broke through Jensen’s skin. 

Jensen yelped in surprise then pressed even closer to Cougar, his hips starting a slow, dirty grind that made Cougar whine into his mouth.

Cougar could feel everything, from the healing marks on Jensen’s back to the tight heat surrounding the man’s cock and as Jensen shoved closer like he wanted to climb inside Cougar the wolf howled in the dark haired man’s head.

Jensen wrenched his lips away from Cougar’s burying his face in his mate’s neck as the heat from their impending orgasm clawed its way up Cougar’s spine. The tingle in his gut grew as Jensen’s hips moved faster.

“Fuck, fuck, Jesus Christ!” Jensen snarled, one hand dropping to Cougar’s hip to keep him in place as Cougar shoved down on his cock giving as good as he got.

Cougar’s lips curled into a feral smile as he stared down at his mate. “Not Jesus, Carlos,” he mocked and Jensen chocked on the response that Cougar could see building on his tongue when Cougar clenched around him. “Fuck me, mi amor,” he coaxed and the moan that that dragged from Jensen’s throat made Cougar shiver.

“Cougs,” Jensen whimpered, his grip shifting into the realm of pain though Cougar didn’t notice. He couldn’t not when he was burning from the inside out, twin waves of pleasure slamming into him as the orgasm that had been building for so long finally hit and he heard and felt the moment that Jensen let go too. The blond’s hips slammed into him hard enough to rattle his teeth but Cougar just snarled, tightened the hold he had on his mate as he was dragged under.

*O*

Jensen barely managed to get them to the floor safely, his legs felt like he’d run a mile and his body was still shivering with the aftershocks of what had just happened.

“Dude, sex with you should come with a warning,” he huffed out when Cougar shifted in his lap, grinding against Jensen’s still hard cock and thank you werewolf stamina because if Cougar was up for it Jensen was definitely gonna try to score a full ten out of ten on their next try. “It should say something like ‘May cause cardiac arrest or general mental incapacitation’.”

Cougar snorted, pulling back to stare down at Jensen and the blond leered at the way that the sweat that covered Cougar’s body made his curls stick to his face. “You did not have a heart attack,” he pointed out and Jensen smirked.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “What do you say we try that again?”

Cougar didn’t respond, instead he reached past Jensen for the cowboy hat that Beth had given him as a gift. Pushing against Jensen’s chest until the blond was lying flat on the ground; Cougar placed the hat firmly on his own head before rising onto his knees.

Jensen gaped in shock before his lips curled into a slow smile, his hands dropping to Cougar’s hips. “Well yee-haw, ride ‘em cowboy,” he laughed and Cougar dipped down to swallow the sound as he rocked back onto Jensen’s cock.

Jensen really hoped that Jodi wouldn’t kill him when he went to pick up Estela late because it didn’t look like he’d be leaving here anytime soon….though he definitely wasn’t complaining.

 

 

**Works inspired by this one:**

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